I Need You Buddy
by theforbiddenbond
Summary: HS/AU: Dean Winchester should be worrying about grades and girls, but instead he spends most of his time thinking about his best friend. He should be going partying on Friday nights, not spending it in a hospital room. Will Dean have to learn his lesson the hard way, or will he finally realize that there's always been just a little more feeling for his best friend than he thought?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fanfic I'm publishing on here so please don't be too harsh with your feedback, although I would LOVE some! This is a short chapter about Dean's feelings..yes..DEAN'S FEELINGS. Anyway, Chapter 2 should be up tomorrow or the next day! Please enjoy and I'd love your reviews! (: See you on the flip side xx**

* * *

Dean was sitting in the stands, cheering his best friend on. 2 more laps and Castiel would be the new States Swimming Champ. Nothing but excitement filled Dean's mind as Cas passed Gordon, the fastest swimmer on his school's team. The crowd was going wild, people screaming and throwing things, kids crying, but it was the cheering on that was overpowering. The buzzer rang. The swimmers got out of the pool and made their way over to podium. "This year's State Champion is none other than our own, Castiel Novak." The tall man, with gray hair and slightly noticeable balding, said as the boy made his way over to where the man was waiting with a medal and an over-sized trophy. The look on Cas's face was priceless. Dean hadn't seen that kid-in-a-candy-shop smile since he pushed Dean in the pool last year in front of their entire class. He forgave him of course; after all they weren't best friends for nothing. There weren't many moments where Cas smiled. Sure, he smiled when someone told a joke or when someone was being nice to him but Dean was the only one who knew what Cas's _smile_ looked like, and this was definitely it. A bunch of students made their way over to the winner and crowded around him, congratulating him on beating out the top swimmers from all over the state. Cas's eyes began to wander, getting sick of the words 'Thank You' and he caught Dean's eyes. The towel-covered boy made his way slowly over to his friend, giving him a real Cas smile. And that's when it all went wrong. Everything was getting blurry, the people were fading, the noises were drowning out by a louder noise no one else seemed to be aware of. And then came a loud bang. Dean jumped up! He opened his eyes and realized it was all a dream. The screaming, the cheering, the splashing, his best friend's smile. It was all a dream and he wished he hadn't woke up.

He made his way down to the living room to find his younger brother sitting on the couch smirking at him.

"Finally you're up! Dad left us some pie for breakfast." Sam shot him a quick smile and made his way into the kitchen.

Dean followed his younger brother into the kitchen and helped himself to piece of pie. After he finished he went upstairs and took a shower, got dressed and headed back downstairs.

"Sam," He called from the door. "I'll be back later. I'm headin' to the hospital and then to detention."

"Call me if anything new happens okay?" Sam replied, making sure his brother knew he felt just as bad as he did about his friend.

"Yeah," Dean smiled at his younger brother. "I will." And he walked out the door and headed down the driveway.

Today wasn't starting off good for Dean. He woke up late, which meant he only had an hour before he had to get to detention, at least he only had three more weeks of it. He nearly ruined his favorite t-shirt, staining it with the black coffee he was oh so fond of. And it was down pouring. No matter what he was doing, or what the weather was like, Dean managed to visit his best friend in the hospital. He'd spend hours upon hours sitting with the comatose boy, sometimes just sitting there, not saying anything, and other times talking to him like he could hear him, sometimes Dean swore he could. He'd reminisce with Castiel about all the adventures they used to go on and how much fun they had when they were kids. However, on very few occasions, Dean would find himself crying and pleading at Cas, telling him how sorry he was, how much of an ass he was for not protecting him, even though in the back of his mind he knew there was nothing he could've done to help him.

He ran down the driveway to his car, too lazy to go back inside and grab an umbrella. He slid into the passenger seat and turned on the radio, trying to drown his sorrows with some music. He knew his classic rock would put him in a better mood. Every morning Dean grew more and more nervous about what he would come to find at the hospital, even though he tried to remain positive and tell himself Cas was going to be alright. He just didn't know if he could handle anything worse than what was going on right now. Cas was the one person besides his brother who knew him, really _knew _him, and it was getting harder and harder for Dean to stay calm and think positive without Cas there giving him advice. He'd grown so used to his company that he became miserable when he wasn't around, especially since the guy was basically in a coma because of his own goddamn stupidity.

He made his way into the hospital parking lot and stopped the car, contemplating whether or not he could force himself into seeing Castiel today. He had to, he made a promise, and Dean Winchester wasn't one to break a promise.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'd just like to let you all know that the follows and favorites put a smile on my face today, especially the reviews! I'm so glad you all enjoy it! (: Here's Chapter 2, please enjoy and keep reviewing! I'm not sure when Chapter 3 will be up but I'll get it up as soon as I can. I'll stop blabbering on and on and let you read, hope it's not too many feels! xx **

Dean walked into the big building, greeted by two security guards and a nurse. He made his way to elevator as a young man approached him.

"Dean-o!" the boy said with excitement as he opened his arms, waiting for a hug.

"Hey Gabe." Dean said as he gave the other boy a short but sweet hug.

"Here to see Cas I'm assuming?" Gabe replied. "I was just up there, same old same old. He is lookin' a little better than yesterday though."

"Yeah. Thanks Gabe. I'll see you in detention later right?"

"Of course buddy!" Gabriel was about to leave but before he did, he turned around to add one last thing. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean looked at the boy with the same lost puppy look he always had when he knew they were talking about Castiel.

"Lighten up okay? He's gonna make it. Remember the doctors said he's makin' progress. You'll have your best friend back in no time!"

"Just gotta keep praying right? That's what he'd want us to do."

"Exactly." Gabe smiled at him as he walked out the door.

The elevator door opened and there he found Crowley stepping out. He assumed his cousin had brought him along. Crowley and Cas weren't the closest of cousins but Crowley always managed to check up on him, Gabe, and Anna once in blue moon.

"Winchester."

"Crowley."

Crowley laughed. "Such a pity you don't know my last name isn't it? Ahh yes well have fun visiting Cassie! I'm off to drop Gabe at detention. Don't be late..again." he winked at him as Dean rolled his eyes and got into the elevator.

Cas' room was on the fourth floor. He stepped off the elevator and greeted Ruby, the head nurse on the floor. Ruby saw everything and everyone. She also saw Dean...every day for two months now. Ruby wasn't the nicest nurse however, with her quick wit and bitchiness on occasion, but they had always been civilized, just giving each other a short smile and a nod. "Good news Dean." she said before he passed the nurses' station.

"Excuse me?"

She chuckled a bit before continuing. "I said 'Good news.' Castiel is making progress. Dr. Turner just informed me that he is excelling in his tests and might be out of the coma in the next few days."

Ruby couldn't help but smile when she saw the expression on Dean's face. His smile was so big you could've mistaken him for The Joker. Still smiling, he managed out a 'thank you' and made his way down the hall.

* * *

Cas's room was one of the last ones on the floor. He made his way down the long, narrow corridor, past a couple of people who were in wheelchairs, giving them a quick smile as he continued down the hall. Dr. Turner was standing outside of Castiel's room. Dean knew that the only reason a doctor stood outside a patient's room was when there was news, and he was the one about it get that news, whether it be good or bad.

"Good morning Dean." The doctor said, not looking up from his clipboard, focusing on one page.

"Morning Dr. Turner." Dean replied with no emotion in his voice.

Rufus Turner was one of the best doctors in all of Kansas, but he certainly wasn't the most pleasant. You were lucky if you got a simple nod from him, let alone a smile or any eye contact.

Dr. Turner looked up from his clipboard to open the door to his patient's room but stopped himself, looking at Dean.

"I rescheduled a test for this afternoon so you two would have more time. I was informed your visit yesterday was cut short. Excuse the nurse, she's new." He let a small curve emerge at the corner of his mouth. "Ruby tell you what I told her?"

"Yeah," Dean said. "She did." He couldn't help but smile as he recalled what the nurse had told him a few minutes ago. "So how much longer do you think he'll be out?" Dean finally managed to ask the man.

"Well Dean, it's hard to say exactly. I'd like to say by the end of the week but that might be pushing it. Maybe next week...or the week after that. But the point is, he's doing better. _A lot better_ than when he came in two months ago."

"Yeah that's all anyone can say. Look I know you're the doctor and all but shouldn't you know when he's gonna be better? It's been two months and nothing's changed…is it ever gonna change?"

Dean turned away. He knew he was on the verge of tears and didn't want a doctor watching him cry. He never cried in front of anyone, but that's because he didn't cry unless something got to him, got under his skin or in his head and made him think. He started thinking. He started thinking about the downsides of Cas being in the hospital…being in a coma for two months. What if he was never going to get better? What if he stayed like this and his family was forced to pull the plug? What if he never got to say goodbye to his best friend, to the boy he's known his whole life? What if…?...he stopped thinking as the tears were sliding down his cheeks, water getting caught in the corners of his quivering mouth. He felt a hand pat the top of his shoulder.

"It's normal to be upset Dean, most people are. I've seen kids in Cas's state before, HELL, I knew a kid in Cas's state, my brother. I know what you're going through. But listen to me when I tell you that your friend is going to get better. Obviously not today or tomorrow or the next day, but soon. Just don't lose your faith."

Dr. Turner took his hand off the boy's shoulder. He turned to head down the hallway before turning around to give Dean some more advice.

"I think your visits are what are really helping him get through it." Dr. Turner added as he headed down the corridor and out of sight.

* * *

Dean stared at the rusty, gold doorknob for a few minutes before he decided he was finally going to open it. After wiping his tears on the sleeve of his jacket and forcing himself to smile (not that Cas would see)..he opened the door to the room. His eyes immediately went to the boy laying there on the bed, eyes closed, hair going all different ways you could tell it hadn't been touched in weeks. Dean remembered how angry Cas would get when his friends would tease him about his "sex hair." Cas never understood why they insisted he had sex hair because he had never had sex before. His naiveness was one of the many qualities they loved the most about him.

Dean pulled a chair up to the right side of Cas's bed, his back facing the window. He sat in silence for a few minutes, just thinking about why his best friend was laying on that bed, laying in a deep sleep he wasn't sure he would ever come out of. Dean swore to himself, and to Cas, that if he ever saw Gordon Walker around town he would beat the fucking daylights out of him. Castiel didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve to be hurt because of Dean. It was his fault, he thought he should be the one in Cas's place but no, that wasn't going to change. Cas was hurt, more than Dean ever thought and there was nothing he could do but visit him every day and hope that he would wake up. He placed his hand atop of Cas's, nothing romantic, it was just something they had done since they were kids. It reminded both of them that they had someone there, someone who would never leave.

"Cas…" Dean started talking. "Cas..I..I know you can't hear me but I'm gonna talk anyway." He was stuttering, talking to an unconscious person was nerve-racking, especially since they can't hear you. "Things are bad here. I've been going to detention every day since what happened. Gordon hasn't shown up to school..and I sure as hell wouldn't blame him. We both know me, I'd pound his ass so hard into the ground he wouldn't be able to sit...ever again." Dean let out a chuckle. If Cas were here he would've told him 'Violence is not the solution' and Dean would've said 'Violence is the _only_ solution.' "My grades have been dropping, Dad's being...well...Dad. And goddamn my BEST FRIEND IS IN THE HOSPITAL FOR FUCKS SAKE." He found himself slamming his hand onto his knee so hard, he was sure there'd be a mark later. "Cas…if you can hear me..show me..please…I…I need you buddy." He found himself tearing up again and turned away, staring out the window. He looked down to find the hand under his squeezing his own, like he was holding on for dear life. Dean's mouth opened wider than a football field as he yelled for a nurse or a doctor or someone to come into the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I didn't realize it took a week to write this, I'm so sorry! I started getting writer's block towards the second part...it wasn't pretty. Anyway! Thank you so much for your favorites and follows! And a special thanks to all that reviewed, I LOVE hearing what you think so please review..it makes me happy. I'll have another author's note at the end I'd appreciate if you read it thank you! Here's Chapter 3...enjoy! xx**

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Dr. Turner walked into Room 453 and immediately caught the worried yet somewhat joyful expression on Dean's face. He knew what was going on; he himself had had the same expression when his brother was in the exact situation. How was he going to explain to the young man what was going on? Dean got up out of the chair and made his way to where the man was standing.

"Doctor! Thank God you heard me. I was talking to Cas and..." Dean's words were cut short as the doctor butted in.

"Dean look I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but it's not what you think."

"You didn't even let me finish. How do you know what I'm gonna say? I was gonna say Cas squeezed my hand. Doc…that's gotta be a good sign right? Is he waking up?" Dean's curiosity grew stronger and more hopeful and Dr. Turner just wanted to hug the boy and tell him he needed to more patient but his uptight personality got the best of him.

"I didn't let you finish because I knew what you were going to say. Remember, I told you my brother was in the same situation when I was your age. And I _am_ the doctor. This kind of thing happens all the time Dean. It's just his nerves making progress. He's not waking up..not for a while."

Dr. Turner looked away from Dean. He couldn't look at him. Should he tell him that his brother never woke up from his coma and demolish the little hope he had left? He was uptight, but definitely not heartless. The hurt in Dean's eyes was greater than one could've imagined.

"Bu...but...y...you said..." Dean stammered. He couldn't find the words to express the sudden drop in his chest. His hope was wearing thin, he couldn't take it anymore. Was trying to put the inevitable in a nicer way? Cas wasn't going to wake up was he?.. After the events today he didn't think he could come back to this hospital, even if he promised his friend he would visit him every day until he got better. But then again, Dean has never broken a promise. Okay, so maybe he did…but that was like what, second grade? You can't blame a seven year old for pinky-swearing not to tell anyone that Michael just so happened to eat something mysterious off the floor and then tell everyone can you? Dean has never broken a promise to Cas and he wasn't planning on starting to.

"I know I said he would wake up soon but let's be realistic here. Sure he's makin' some progress today but what about tomorrow? We never know. I can't promise you when he will get better boy, you just gotta keep hoping and visiting him. He needs you more than ever okay? You gotta be strong for him." The older man placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't you need to be headin' on out to detention? Bobby didn't suddenly let you off the hook now did he?" He shot Dean a quick smile.

Dean looked at the clock. _Shit!_ Detention started in less than 20 minutes. He was definitely going to be late again.

"Right! Hey, Ruf…I mean Doctor Turner?" Dean stopped before he could leave the room.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." He smiled at the man before returning to his journey outside to the impala.

* * *

He stumbled into class two minutes before the bell rang. He took his usual seat next to Gabriel. Every morning they would laugh at Bobby, Mr. Singer in the classroom, because he was usually dozing off and didn't give a crap what they did. Gabriel noticed the weary expression on Dean's face. It wouldn't be the first time he showed up looking so lost and torn up after a visit with Cas. Today was different though. He could tell it was worse than any other day. They sat in silence for a good ten minutes before Gabe broke the awkward silence.

"So how was your visit with Cas?" He didn't know what else to say, there wasn't really anything else to talk about with Dean these days.

"Horrible Gabe. Just horrible." Dean put his head down on the desk, hoping his friend would take the hint that he didn't want to talk about it. He didn't.

"Wha…why? What happened?"

"Well," Dean started. "I was sitting in that disgusting, used up chair" he chuckled. Gabe and he were the only ones who would get that. They joked about how old and ratty the chair in Cas's room was and how they could've sworn it had been there since the early 1900's. "I was holding onto his hand…you know…just to let him know I was there. The last thing I said to him was 'I need you buddy' and he squeezed my hand. Goddammit Gabe he squeezed my hand! I was sure that was a sign he was wakin' up but doc said it wasn't, that I was 'exaggerating the situation'." He put up air quotes as he said his last words.

"How the hell is that not a good sign? Ugh I swear Doctor Turner is such.." Gabe's mouth dropped as he looked towards the door of the classroom. There he was, Mr. Fuck-Up-My-Best-Friend himself, Gordon Walker.

Dean was about to ask Gabe why he didn't finish his sentence but then realized it for himself. Gordon walked towards the teacher's desk, noticing the man sitting there was asleep. He looked around the room and caught the daggers Dean Winchester was sporting, and they were clearly directed at him. Before he could escape the classroom, Dean was already out of seat and heading over to him. Gabriel tried to push him back into his seat but Dean shoved his hand out of the way. Something was about to happen, and it wasn't going to be pretty.

**A/N: I just wanted to let you all know if there's anything you wanna see in future chapters to please comment or message me your ideas! And don't fret...we'll find out about the accident in the next couple chapters or so..(:**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just some warnings here, my note will be at end..you're gonna need it..There's some violence in here and some abuse so if you don't like that than please don't read. It's not anything too bad. Here it is, the long awaited Dean and Gordon face off! Enjoy (: xx**

* * *

"Wow do you have some fucking nerve showing your face 'round here." Dean went to go shove Gordon but he stepped back.

With a slight smirk on his face, Gordon replied, "You know Winchester, you're just as much to blame for the whole thing. I mean after all, you _were _there too. You _did _see what happened. And you do know that it was an accident." Confidence in his words, he moved in closer to Dean.

"Don't test me Walker. You know I had nothing to do with it. It was your fault you asshole don't try and fucking blame me for it." He pushed the other boy out of the classroom. Everyone got up out of their seats to see what was happening in the hallway. The loud commotion, however, didn't wake Bobby up.

"Come on Dean, push me again. Hey, as a matter a fact, why don't you punch me? Come on! Go ahead! Everyone knows you want to."

The confidence in Gordon's voice was starting to severely piss Dean off. He clenched his fist at his side tight. Before he knew what he was doing, before thinking about where his actions would lead him, he lifted his fist and was just inches away from the bastard's face before he felt someone guide his fist back down to his side.

"Dean…don't." It was Gabriel.

"Aww look Winchester. Your brother-in-law is trying to stop you." Gordon turned to Gabriel. "Look here Pretty Boy. You were there too, just like me and Deany Boy here."

Now Gabe was pissed. He walked up to Gordon, not taking his eyes off of him. Gordon flinched when Gabriel was inches away from his face.

"Now YOU listen here you low life, disgusting, piece of shit. Don't you talk to Dean like that you hear me?" He grabbed the tan jacket the boy was wearing. It reminded him of the hideous trench coat Cas always wore. He'd always tell him that one day he'd probably end up being a tax accountant because that's what he looked like when wearing the ugly thing. "My brother is in the hospital because of YOU. No one else, YOU. Don't blame it on Dean, or me or even him. Get the fuck out of the school before this gets uglier than it already is."

"Get your hands off me. Touch me again and you'll be on the floor." Gabe let go and Gordon brushed himself off, adding in a quick shrug, trying to remain 'cool.'

"Is that a threat?" Dean butted in. Gabe glanced over at him with the don't-you-fucking-dare-look, lightly shaking his head. "And did you say 'brother-in-law'?" He raised an eyebrow before walking over to Gordon, taking Gabe's place so that he was now face-to-face with him.

"It's not a threat, it's a promise." Once again Gordon's confident words were getting to Dean. Who the hell did he think he was? He's a swimmer for God's sake, how tough could he be? "I'm surprised you didn't catch on sooner. It isn't exactly a secret that you have a crush on Cas, Winchester. You make it so damn obvious. I never pegged him as your type though. Always thought you'd be into the jock kinda guy." He smirked after finishing. He knew his words were affecting Dean, after all, that's what he was aiming for. He wanted to get a rise out of Dean; he _wanted_ him to punch him.

Dean pushed him against the locker and grabbed the collar of Gordon's jacket. "You are one sick bastard you know that? Not because of those comments, I have no problem with gay people. But to talk about Cas like that…I'm gonna bash your fucking face in Walker. You hear me?" He had lifted his hand as he was speaking. Gordon ducked as Dean swung, his fist hitting the locker behind him.

"Not so tough now are you?"

"You think you're funny don't you? You think you're a real comedian? Newsflash Gordon. The only thing you are is a fucking coward. Admit it was your fault Cas is in the hospital and I swear I'll walk out that door right now." He said as he pointed to the front door of the building.

"You can call me as many things as you want but you can't call me a liar. And I'm not gonna lie and say it was my fault because it sure as hell wasn't Winchester. You and Pretty Boy over there know it."

"Well now we _can_ call you a liar." Gabe added, taking a seat by the lockers across from where Dean and Gordon were standing.

"I'm not gonna waste my time on you pathetic fucks. I'm…" Before Gordon could finish what he was about his say, his sentence was cut off by the intense pain growing in his jaw. Dean had punched him, and it hurt like a bitch. "Didn't think you had the balls." He said, touching the side of his mouth where Dean had hit him.

"I know you don't." Now Dean was the one with the confidence in his words and he swerved around many hits from Gordon, making him miss several times.

"You think you're tough shit don't you?" Gordon somehow managed to push Dean into the lockers face first, busting his lip open on a lock some ass had left open.

The fire in Dean's eyes was hard to miss. This meant war, and he wasn't backing down until he was the only one left standing.

Dean successfully achieved getting Gordon into a headlock, ramming himself into the lockers by accident. Gordon grabbed Dean's waist and twisted it to the side before experiencing another blow to head.

"Wow, didn't know you were so handsy Dean. Should've bought me dinner first."

Dean loosened his grip on Gordon just enough to push him hard against the lockers, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Don't talk about him. You don't get to talk about him after what you did." He let out a fake laugh. "Who's the bitch on the floor now?"

Gordon was getting heated now. He got up off of the floor and stumbled over to where Dean was standing, back turned to him. He put his arms around the boy's neck and gave him two quick and hard punches across the face. Dean fell to the floor, blood dripping from his nose.

"You are." Gordon said, trying to hide the fear in his voice, afraid of what Dean was going to do next.

He sat in the spot for a good five minutes, not knowing what to do. 'Damn, he's tougher than I gave him credit for.' He thought to himself. He finally got up and stood in front of Gordon, once again they were face to face. He raised his left fist and put it up, ready to punch Gordon in the face before he felt someone push it away.

"You aimin' for a suspension boy?" Bobby said in disbelief. He noticed the red liquid dripping down Dean's face and pointed to his nose. "You got a little somethin' there."

Dean wiped his nose with his left hand, his right was still sore from punching that locker before. He turned to Bobby, who was pointing at Gordon.

"You did this?" He scowled and the boy moved back a few inches.

"Ye..yeah." Dean sensed the fear in Gordon's voice. He wanted to laugh but he knew Bobby wouldn't appreciate it, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Main office, Walker." The boy stood there frozen, unable to move. "NOW!"

Gordon gave Dean a look and then glanced over at Gabriel. He walked down the hallway and into the office.

"I won't send ya to the office Dean, but I'm gonna have to call John." He put a hand on his shoulder before walking into the classroom and pulling out his cellphone.

Dean walked over to where Gabe was sitting against the lockers on the other side of the hallway. He stood there and slid himself down next to Gabe, getting into a position so now his arms were hugging his knees and his head was buried inside. Gabriel put his arms around his friend, not knowing what else to do. Dean looked up, tears were mixing with the blood on his lips.

"My dad's gonna kill me Gabe. He's gonna kill me." He managed out those few words, added an occasional sob between them.

"I'm sure he won't Dean. It'll be okay…just breathe."

Bobby walked out of the classroom a few minutes later and told Dean that his dad was on his way and told Gabe it was okay to go home. Gabriel and Dean both got up at the same time, walking into the classroom to get their jackets.

"See you Monday Dean. Text me later so I know everything's alright, okay?" Gabe said before getting a quick nod from Dean and heading out the door.

* * *

The car ride home felt like forever. It wasn't exactly peaceful by any means. It was filled with many curses and a hell of a lot of yelling, mainly from John, Dean didn't want his father any madder at him than he already was. But he couldn't help but yell back when his father mentioned Castiel.

"This shit all has to do with that friend of yours bein' in the hospital doesn't it? How many times did I tell you to stop hanging around him. He may be quiet but he ain't worth all this trouble."

Dean smelled the liquor on his father's breath.

"Don't talk about him like that Dad, you don't know him! He's been there for me every time I needed someone, unlike you. You're always out drinking and you're never home. That's why mom left isn't it? Because she couldn't handle your drinking anymore?"

John slapped him across the face.

"I'm your father, don't you EVER fucking talk to me like that, boy you understand? And don't you dare bring your momma into this, we're not talking about her. We're talking about you and your screwed up ass."

He had so many things he wanted to say to his dad, so many things he would probably regret, yet all of them were true. Fearful of his dad, however, he sat there in silence until they got home. Sam was waiting outside the house for his brother and his dad to get home. When Dean stepped out of the car, blood still on his face from the fight, and a rosy red left cheek, he knew this wasn't good.

"Dean..wha..what happened?" Sam said, unable to find the right words to fit the situation.

Dean didn't say anything and walked into the house, heading up to the bathroom to see how fucked up his face was. John followed but he went into the kitchen, finding the nearest bottle of booze he could. Sam stood in the living room waiting for someone to explain what was going on, he wasn't a baby, he could handle the truth.

Dean came downstairs about twenty minutes later, ready to talk to his dad about the fight at school. He didn't realize John had downed a whole bottle of whiskey since they had gotten home. Sam was sitting on the couch in the living room, trying to listen in on his family's conversation in the kitchen. The only thing he heard was cursing being shouted left and right, and a bottle being thrown at a wall. He jumped up when he heard a loud thud, but he didn't move, he didn't want to go in and see someone he loved lying on the kitchen floor. He heard a last "FUCK YOU" and then Dean stormed out of the room and up the stairs, tears streaming down his face. Sam quickly turned the tv off and got up off of the couch.

Dean stumbled into his room, tears blocking half of his vision, and he knocked over a few books on his desk. He changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over his head to continue crying. He felt a hand on his head. He pulled the covers down to find his brother sitting next to him, rubbing his forehead like he used to do to him when he was little to help him fall asleep faster.

"It's okay Dean. Everything is gonna be okay, I'm here. I'm not gonna leave, just go to sleep and we'll figure everything out in the…" Those were the last words he heard Sam say.

He opened his eyes to find himself sitting in the waiting room at the hospital. Loud noises everywhere, people running around frantically. Doctor Turner was standing next to some nurses who seemed to be panicking and shouting at each other. He got up out of his seat and made his way over to the group.

"Dr. Turner, what's going on?" Dean was confused.

"I…I don't know Dean. Just sit back down."

He listened to Rufus and quickly sat back in the seat he was in a few moments ago. The next thing he heard confused him even more.

"CODE BLUE! CODE BLUE! EVERYONE CODE BLUE!"

He looked around and he saw three nurses and Dr. Turner entering a room. The only words he seemed to make out over the loud commotion in the waiting area was 'Clear.' His head started hurting and he didn't know why. Dean then heard a nurse say something about calling. 'What does calling have to do with being in a hospital?' He asked himself before noticing the doctors were exiting the room, their faces were filled with disappointment. Doctor Turner made his way down the hallway and Dean was about to say something to him but before he could the doctor looked at him for a moment and then looked away. And that's when he knew.

He walked down the narrow hallway, rushing into Room 453. There was a nurse in there when he walked in, the door had been left open. The nurse glanced up at the boy before making her way over to him, letting out a small smile, and leaving. He sat in the chair next to Cas's bed and just sat there and stared at his friend. He lent out his hand, putting it atop Cas's. It was colder than usual. It was then that he realized what the nurse meant, she was asking the doctor if it was time to call it. Dean looked at his face. It was the same face he watched grow up, the same face he had met in kindergarten and had so many laughs with. He was the short, weird kid who had been too shy to say a word to anyone but let him into his life, the boy who knew everything there was to know about Dean Winchester. His best friend, the boy he loved with all his heart, the boy he couldn't protect. He had a future, he was going to go places, be something great. But his life was cut short, and Dean found himself crying harder than he ever had in his life. And just like that, he was gone.

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**A/N: PLEASE READ!**

**You all probably hate me right now..I just wanted to tell you I cried while writing the end of this. But I promise it gets happier, don't stop reading! Also thank you so much for your reviews, favorites, and follows (: I look forward to reading them! So please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow I finished this earlier than I expected to...I did spend the whole day working on it...anyway I hope this makes up for the sadness in the last chapter! Thank you to all who reviewed and hello to the new followers (: please keep reviewing, I love hearing what you guys think! Here's Chapter 5 (: enjoy xx**

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"CAAAAS NO!" Dean screamed so loud the neighbors down the street probably heard him.

He sat up and wiped his eyes. They were sticky which meant the somewhat dry tears were either from last night before he fell asleep or while he was sleeping. He recalled the dream he had had during the night, the one where he lost Cas. That sure as hell was going to put a damper in his day. He heard footsteps coming up the stairs and hid back in his blankets. He wasn't sure if it was Sam or his dad, but he wasn't taking any chances.

The person outside the door knocked once but was too impatient for Dean to say anything and they let themselves in.

"Dean! What the hell was that?" Sam asked, concerned for his older brother.

"N…nothing Sammy, I'm fine." Dean answered.

Sam walked over to his brother's bed, sitting so Dean could see him and know that he was there.

"Dean that wasn't nothing, you were screaming bloody freakin murder! Is everything ok? You're sure you're alright?" He placed his hand on Dean's arm, making the older boy smile.

"I'm fine Sam, thanks for asking."

_Carry on my wayward son_

_There'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry no more_

Sam was about to ask Dean if he wanted some breakfast but was interrupted by Dean's obnoxious classic rock ringtone. He rolled his eyes before getting up to hand Dean the phone.

"Will you answer it?" Dean asked, making it ever so obvious he didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

He nodded, picking up the phone and glancing at the screen. The number wasn't saved but he decided to answer it anyway. If a telemarketer was calling this early on a Sunday morning, they were going to face the wrath of a drowsy Sam Winchester.

"Hello?" Sam asked the unknown caller.

"Umm..no? This is Sam. Who is this?...Stop lying. If this is Gabriel, this isn't funny….Oh…my…God….yeah he's right here hold on."

He looked over at Dean with a huge smile plastered over his face.

"It's for you." He said, handing Dean the phone.

Dean covered the mouth piece so the person on the other line couldn't hear him.

"Eww dude what's up with the pedo stare? Who's on the phone?"

"See for yourself." He smiled again before turning and walking out the door.

Dean uncovered the mouth piece and placed the phone by his ear.

"Hello?..."

"Dean? Dean? Is that you?"

The person on the other line was whispering. 'Who the hell whispers over the phone?' He thought to himself. The voice on the other end sounded distant. He didn't recognize it. It sounded as if the person hadn't spoken a word in weeks, maybe months, two months if you wanted to be exact.

"Dad, I swear to God if this is your way of apologizing you can…"

"Dean? This isn't your father. It's…it's me." The stranger stopped him mid-sentence.

"Shit…sorry man. Wait…me? Who the…no. No…this is some kind of sick joke isn't it? Gabe? This isn't funny. What the hell is wrong with you?"

The boy on the other end let out a chuckle, followed by a loud cough.

"Dean calm down." He coughed again before continuing. "It's _me._ Castiel? Your best friend? Or did you suddenly replace me?"

Either this was some kind of cruel joke or he was still asleep. He pinched himself on his arm, he didn't think it'd hurt as much as it actually did. Cruel joke it was.

"Look buddy…whoever the _hell _you are…you're one fucked up dick you know that? I don't know how the hell you got my number but let's forget this little conversation ever happened unless you want me pinpointing your exact location and coming over and beating your ass myself. Are we clear?"

"It…it's not…"

He hung up before the sicko on the other end could finish.

"Dean are you hungry?" Sam called from the kitchen.

He didn't answer, but that was just Dean. He got dressed and headed downstairs for some breakfast. Sam had prepared scrambled eggs and bacon. After they finished, Dean told Sam he was going to the hospital.

"I'm coming with you today." Sam said, grabbing his coat before headed to the door.

"You never wanna come with me, what's with you today?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Let me guess? You hung up the phone before you even said a word?" He crossed his arms, waiting for his brother's response.

"No! I did talk. That's just pathetic Sammy, I can't believe you bought into that shit."

Once again Sam rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go. We don't have all day." He pulled Dean's arm and led him to the car.

"Actually we do Sammy…it's Sunday. Remember?" Dean tousled his little brother's hair, knowing he'd get a rise out of him.

"Shut up jerk." Sammy said, getting into the car.

"Bitch." Dean smiled at his brother before opening his side of the car and drove down the road.

* * *

The two brothers walked into the hospital, this time they weren't greeted by anyone. It was early on a Sunday morning so that wasn't really surprising. They took the elevator up to the fourth floor and had to wait because Ruby wasn't at her station.

"That's weird, Ruby's always at the station." Dean turned to Sam with a confused yet kind of relieved expression on his face. His dream from the previous night was still in the back of his mind and with his luck, Ruby would probably have started her morning with a heaping bowl of bitch flakes, just to worsen his day.

"Maybe she called off sick?"

Dean looked around the floor. There was nobody there. No doctors, no nurse, no patients, no one. Him and Sam were the only ones there. They made their way down the usual hallway and stopped when they saw Gabriel standing there.

"Dean! Sam! Thank God you're here!" He pulled them both into a hug. Gabe's voice was a little unsettling. Dean couldn't tell if he was happy or sad or...hell...he didn't know what to think.

"Hey, Gabe?"

Gabriel focused on Dean. "Yeah?"

"Did uhh…did you call me this morning?" Dean asked, looking at the floor.

Gabriel smiled, knowing Dean wasn't looking. "Umm…no? Why?"

"Oh nothing. It's just…I don't know. I got this weird call from someone pretending to be Cas. It was fucked up. I don't know, I thought it was you."

"Oh way to make a guy feel special Winchester!" He chuckled. "Nope, it wasn't me."

He let out a low 'oh' and sat down. In fact, they all just sat down for a few minutes not saying much of anything to each other. Dean looked around again. His dream was starting to come back to him. He remembered the pain he felt, how much he had cried and he guessed that the tears were real. He had shed so many of those in the past few months, _hell_, all his _life_, it was beginning to become a second nature to him. Dean recalled something else though…the way he looked at Cas, the way he talked to Cas, the idea of losing him forever…he just couldn't bear it. Castiel was the second most important person to him, maybe even tying Sam for first. He loved the boy with all his heart. Wait a second…he didn't just think that. Nope…Gordon wasn't right about the whole 'crush on Castiel' thing….was he? _No. He's just a friend, nothing more_. He told himself before Gabriel's words snapped him out of his thought.

"Dean? Did you hear me?"

"Wha…no sorry…totally blanked out right there." He let out a laugh that even he couldn't convince himself was real.

"I said…why don't we go check on Cas. I mean that's why we're here isn't it?" Before Dean could answer, all three boys turned to see Dr. Turner standing behind them.

"Maybe that's a no with the look he's giving you." The doctor smiled at them before continuing. "There's something I want to show you boys, follow me."

He walked to the door of Cas's room, the door was closed. Neither one of the three teens moved. Dean was still out of it, his dream was getting him. Did it come true? Did his best friend peacefully drift away in his sleep and leave him as the stupid, damaged boy who could never be fixed? Or was it the same as always. He'd sit in the ratty, old chair talking to someone who couldn't hear him. Maybe not ever hear him again.

"Well…" Dr. Turner said. "Are you gonna stand there all day or go in?"

"I've already been in there…and I already told Sam. So uhh…Dean why don't you go in?" Gabriel hesitated but finally got the words out.

"I swear if there's something I don't wanna…" Dean stopped when Sam shut him up with a push, hitting his face against the glass window of the door.

"Sorry Dean! Just thought you needed a little…push." Sam started laughing and Gabriel joined in.

"Ha ha Sam, soooo funny. You should be comedian."

"Just get your ass in the damn room!" Gabriel shouted.

He turned the knob when he heard his cellphone ring again.

_Carry on my wayward son_

_There'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry no more_

He answered his phone as he turned the knob, opening it to see his best friend sitting up, with a phone in his hand. The voice on the phone was the same voice he had heard earlier, and the same voice of the boy in the hospital room.

"Hello Dean." Castiel said, with a smile brighter than the moon.


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope everyone had a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for all the new follows and favorites, especially the reviews! I look forward to them every time I post a new chapter! (: I'm sad to say I'm going back to school tomorrow...no more break, so I won't be updating as frequently :( there will be a note after this chapter. Here's Chapter 6, enjoy! xx**

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Dean stood in the doorway, wide eyed, not knowing to what to think. God, did he miss that smile, and the way Cas said his name. He talked so proper for a 17 year old but that was just…well…Cas, and it was just one of the many things that made him, _him_.

"Ca…Castiel?" He said, stammering as he tried to think of what to say.

"Well that is what they said my name is." Castiel replied, a serious expression grew onto his face.

"Wait, what?" Dean asked, managing a confused as hell look on face. Castiel still had the same expression on his and it didn't seem like it was leaving. '_Please God, please tell me he remembers.'_ He thought to himself before the other boy answered.

"That's what the doctor told me my name was." He tilted his head to the side before adding, "Why? Is that not my name?"

Dean looked at Cas for another moment then brought his gaze to the floor. So he didn't remember anything except Dean's name? He looked up and walked over to the bed where Castiel was laying facing him. His mind was flooded with the happiness of having his best friend back, even if he didn't remember anything. He opened his arms and put them around Cas, squeezing so hard it probably could've killed the kid.

"De…Dean…can't…breathe." Cas managed out.

"Oh right!" Dean pushed back, sitting in the chair next to the bed. "Sorry."

Cas let out a chuckle. "What was that for?"

"I just thought since…ya know, yeah…I don't really know." He said, awkwardly looking around the room.

"I hope you know that you are the most gullible person I have ever met Dean Winchester." Cas let out a another, longer chuckle, followed by a cough.

"Huh?" Dean said confused. What was he talking about? Sure, he _was _gullible but he didn't think it was all that noticeable. He shot a glance up at Cas who was staring at him with a slight smile.

"I was joking Dean. I remember my name." He put his hand on Dean's shoulder and Dean gave him a _you're lucky we're best friends _look before smiling too.

Cas moved over on his bed, making room for Dean to sit next to him as he patted down the side that was empty. He smiled at Dean, not one of the magnificent smiles he was so used to giving him, but a smile big enough to let Dean know how much he had missed him. Dean sat down on the bed next to Cas, Cas moving closer to him and laying his head in Dean's lap. He looked down at him, his eyes were closed. He heard the faint sound of an "I missed you" come from Cas's mouth. He couldn't help but smile.

Dean finally broke the silence. It wasn't something he wanted to do but he knew he had to. Even though Castiel had told him he remembered everything, which was a complete relief to Dean, he wondered how much he remembered about the accident he had been in two months prior.

"Cas…can I uhh ask you a question?"

Cas didn't open his eyes but he let out a small sound which sounded like an "Mhm" to Dean, so he proceeded.

"Do you remember how you got in here? Like…the accident…what happened that night?"

"You sound like Rufus. And no, as a matter of fact I do not remember anything from that evening." He said, lifting his head up off of Dean's lap and placing it back on the pillow he had propped up behind him, making it more comfortable to sit up. "I don't even know why I'm here Dean." He looked so confused and lost. Dean just wanted to sit next to him and hug him and kiss him and tell him….Dean just wanted to sit next to him and hug him and kiss…Dean wanted to remind him that it was okay, things were going to get better and tell him how sorry he was for everything.

"I'm…I'm so sorry Cas. I ju…" Dean's words were cut off by Sam and Gabriel entering the room.

"Cas!" Sam shouted. "You really are awake!" He said, knocking over a magazine on the table of the room to rush over and give him a hug.

"I'm…awake?" Cas asked, the confusion in his voice was more than noticeable to the other boys. Before any of them could answer, Cas once again had a coughing fit.

"Cas, you okay?" Gabe asked, walking over to the bed and patting his brother on the back.

"I'm fine Gabriel." He said after the coughing had stopped.

Doctor Turner strolled into the room, holding his clipboard as usual. He stood by the bed of his patient, making sure everything was okay and that all the IV's were still intact. Once he had made sure everything was fine, he turned to Castiel's visitors, almost as if knowing they were going to ask about the random coughing fits Castiel kept bursting into.

"His lungs still aren't in the best shape, there's no need to worry. We'll be doing some more tests in the next few days to see how you're doing Castiel. It's good to have you back." He patted Dean on the back and continued. "You had this one worried, practically dyin'." He let out a small laugh.

Castiel's cheek started expressing a slight pink tint and he focused his eyes on Dean who was looking away at the sudden embarrassing words the doctor had just said. Snapping out of his love gaze, Cas was very worried yet eager to find out what the hell everyone was talking about. He was sleeping, yes, but for how long? They were making it seem like months.

"Will someone please explain to me why I have suddenly 'woken up'?" He said, placing air quotes around the last words. "You seem to be saying it as if I have been deceased and woke up as some zombie from The Walking Dead."

"That's my queue to leave!" Doctor Turner chimed in as he left the room.

"Wow Cassie! Branching out to other shows besides those stupid mini movies you watch about…pyramids and shit?" Gabriel said, getting a small laugh out of Dean. Castiel preferred watching shows that were educational, unlike Gabriel and Dean who were obsessed with shows about violence and occasionally doctors.

"If you are referring to the documentaries about ancient Egypt, then no. I only said that because you forced me to watch it that one time and might I say it was horrid. Now enough of beating around the bush, tell me what you were talking about when you said I woke up." He was now staring at all three boys, one after another, waiting for an answer.

"You know, I should really call Uncle Zach and tell him that you're okay." Gabe said, heading for the door. Sam wasn't far behind him.

Once again it was just Dean and Cas in the room, silence filling it up. Dean plopped on his usual seat, the dirty chair next to his friend's bed, Cas watching Dean's every move, waiting for him to sit down. He bended his arm halfway, advising Dean to move his seat as close to the bed as possible. Dean did just that. He dragged his eyes to the floor, staring at his feet. He hesitated for a little, not knowing if he was sure Cas was ready to hear this. The poor guy had just woken up from being in a freaking coma for two months, he didn't think he bear the pain of relieving that night, the night he was almost a goner. As if Cas was using some sort of telepathy to read Dean's mind, he extended out his hand, placed in on top of Dean's.

"I can handle it, Dean. Please tell me." He smiled at him, something Dean couldn't help but smile back at.

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**A/N: I know****_ I_**** keep 'beating around the bush' by not telling you about Cas's accident. But fear not! I promise I will dedicate the next chapter to telling you, well Dean telling Cas...but you know what I mean :P please don't forget to review, I love the feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys! Ugh I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, I couldn't find the will to write. Darn writer's block...anyway this chapter is all about the incident Cas got into. Please review (I think you've already established I love them) and thank you for all the follows and favorites! I think I have an idea where to end the story, but if you have any ideas please feel free to let me know (: and on with Chapter 7. Enjoy! xx**

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He could remember it like it was yesterday. The shouting, the punches, the shoves, the hurt, _everything. _It was all coming back to him, clear as a bell. The look on Gordon's and Gabriel's face as Cas dropped, they all just stood there, watching, not knowing what to do.

It was the day before the State Swimming Championship, something everyone at Lawrence High was looking forward to, especially Castiel. It was cold that day, Dean recalled. The leaves were covered in beautiful white snow on the ground and the trees were bare, their branches covered in the white bliss as well. Christmas was around the corner and he couldn't think any reason why the championship was in the middle of winter. It's freezing outside, wouldn't the swimmers get cold? Maybe the thought of Gordon Walker standing outside in the snow in his swimsuit made Dean chuckle. The jerk deserved it. He made his way into the impala, as usual, and headed down the road to pick up his best friend.

The ride to school was quieter than most days, Dean knew it was probably because Cas was nervous about the championship. He couldn't blame him. It was the first time in five years that their school had actually made it to the finals, no thanks to Gordon getting them disqualified two years in a row for picking a fight with a member of another team. But this was also the first time Castiel had agreed to be part of the finals, with him being shy and awkward around most of the other guys on the team, he really was the best, and everyone knew it. It wasn't that they were pressuring him, or that Dean was pressuring him, but he felt comfortable enough to swim in front of people besides his teammates and that kind of was all thanks to Dean.

The school day went slower than usual, every class seemed like it was about four hours long and Dean was getting antsy, fidgeting in his seat. Castiel had been silent all day, not speaking to anyone. He figured it was probably something he did, it usually was. Cas didn't get mad at anyone and if he did, it was either Dean or Gabriel. Or it could possibly be the fact that the championship was tomorrow and his anxiety was getting to him. It was time to go home but the swim team had mandatory practice due to the championship meet tomorrow so Dean had offered to wait with Castiel and drive him home after. Sam got a ride from one of his friend's moms and Gabriel was sitting in the stands, waiting for his brother with Dean.

Dean and Gabriel spent most of the time talking and Dean let an occasional glance slip over to Cas, who would just simply smile at him as he continued swimming from one end of the pool to the other. When practice was over, Cas was the only one besides Gordon who didn't go to the locker room. They were standing over by the doors of the locker room but they hadn't made it in. Gabriel noticed and made Dean aware of what was going on. The two boys were arguing, most likely something having to do with the championship tomorrow. Gabriel and Dean then saw Gordon shove Cas into the wall behind him and knowing Cas, he wouldn't fight back. Gabriel yelled something and Gordon headed towards the two others with rage in his eyes. Castiel wasn't far behind. They were all now standing about a foot away from the huge pool in front of them. Gordon was facing Cas and Gabriel was facing Dean, all of them standing in some sort of circle. Dean remembered he thought they were going to perform an ancient ritual because of the way they were standing, but that was besides the point. Gordon and Cas's bickering continued, Dean and Gabriel now knowing they were fighting about who was going to represent their school in tomorrow's meet. For once, Castiel was standing up for himself and wasn't letting Gordon have his way. This was a great way, Dean thought, to bring up his confidence but it could also be a very bad thing if he pissed Gordon off, which had already happened five minutes ago. Castiel screamed something at Gordon, getting up in his face. Dean and Gabriel were just standing there, what else could they do? Gordon then got right back up into his face, yelling cruel things about his sexuality and how bad of a swimmer he was and tears were forming in the other boy's eyes. Dean thought about giving him a hug and punching Gordon in the face but the next thing he knew, Castiel moved back an inch and slipped on the wet floor. No one could tell if Gordon was lending out a hand to help him or to push him back but either way, he fell onto the floor and hit his head, hard. He fumbled trying to get up but then fell into the pool head first. All three boys stood there in silence and disbelief as Castiel plunged to the bottom of the pool. Gabriel punched Gordon and Dean was about to kick him but the coach of the team came running out of the locker room and asked where Castiel was. And that's when Dean realized how much of an ass he really was. He wanted to get revenge on the son of a bitch in front of him and had completely forgotten his best friend was lying at the bottom of the pool unconscious for God's sake. He fell to his knees and was comforted by Gabriel for a moment before being dragged off to the principal's office along with Gordon, getting ready to face to the consequences of what had happened. As they were being pulled from the pool room, he turned back to see his best friend being carried out of the emergency exit on a stretcher and in that moment he had never felt more scared and worried and heartbroken at the same time. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he, and the two others made their way into the office.

"After that, we all got detention. I've been going 6 days a week since the accident. I promised you I would come visit you every day until you woke up. I've been coming here every day since, I haven't missed one day. Even on my bad days…I've been here Cas." Dean said with tears forming in the corners of both eyes. "Cas…I'm sorry man, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what to do. I'm an idiot, I know. I'm the worst best friend in the fucking history of best friends! Please forgive me Cas. I just…I…I…" He looked up to find a smile plastered on Castiel's face. The smile he had almost forgotten, the smile he thought he lost, the smile he had fallen in love with. He smiled back and couldn't help but wonder what was going through Castiel's mind as the boy started inching closer and closer to him. Their faces were now just inches away and that stupid smile was still on Cas's face. He swore he heard an "I forgive you." Before the last thing he expected to happen, happened.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! I am SO sorry this took so long to be posted! I've been dealing with some personal stuff and I have exams coming up so I'm really stressing. This was also a really difficult chapter to write. I hope you aren't too mad at me! Don't forget to review! (I will keep reminding you how much I look forward to them!) So here it is...Chapter 8! Enjoy! (:**

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Dean closed his eyes so he wasn't sure if Cas's were open or closed as well. However, that was the last thing he was thinking about. He had been waiting for this moment for….he couldn't think of how long he actually had more-than-friends-feelings for Cas. He definitely wasn't gay. There was that time with Lisa and the time with Cassie and the time with Carmen Porter in the back of the impala and the time…ok so there were a lot of _times,_ but all of them had been with girls, never guys. Still, there was just something there between him and Castiel, something he couldn't put a finger to, but something he didn't want to forget.

"Cassie just wanted to tell you that Unc…" Gabriel stopped his sentence midway to find the two friends sitting just a little too close for comfort, and his mouth dropped open and then transformed into a smirk as both Dean and Cas hastily turned their heads to face the boy.

Dean moved back and sat down in his chair but before he could explain, Gabriel stopped him. "Looks like I'm interrupting something," he turned to face Castiel with the same smirk he was wearing the moment he caught them and then back at Dean. Castiel's face was beet red. You could sense the nervousness and embarrassment he was feeling , and the tension in the room could've been cut with a butcher's knife.

"I'll just get out of the way. Oh and Cassie?" He said, gripping the doorknob as he was about to close the door.

"Ye…yes Gabriel?"

"Uncle Zach will be here in half an hour. That should give you and your boyfriend a little more 'alone time.'" He winked at them before he heard a sound come out of his brother's mouth. He peaked his head between the door and replied "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone what I _almost_ saw happen." He once again winked at the two boys before closing the door behind him.

They sat in a _very, very_ awkward silence for what seemed like hours, but Castiel looked up at the clock and realized it had only been two minutes. He didn't know what to do or what to say to Dean. Frankly, he didn't even know what was about to happen a few minutes ago. Sure, Dean and him have been friends since GOD knows how long, but he didn't like like him? Did he?...He sat there contemplating that thought before he remembered his uncle would be visiting him shortly. He turned to face Dean, whose back was turned to him because was staring out the window. It was sunny today. It was a nice change from the crappy, wet weather they had been having all week. Dean's mouth formed a tiny crescent shape before he heard the sound of Cas clearing his throat and shifted to face him.

"I…uhh…think it is time for you to go Dean. Zachariah will be here shortly and…" Cas said, with a gulp at his last word because he couldn't finish the sentence before he saw Dean getting up and grabbing his jacket, walking towards the door. Something in his heart told him to ask him to stay, he wanted him to stay but he wasn't going to say that. Not now.

"See ya tomorrow Cas." Dean looked at his friend and put on the best fake smile he knew how to.

"Dean."

"Yeah Cas?"

"Maybe it's umm…best if you didn't stop by tomorrow. I mean…you did keep your promise and you know that I am okay now."

"What are you trying to say?...You don't want me to come and see how my _best friend_ is doing after being in a fucking COMA for two months?"

The thoughts going through Dean's mind weren't good, at all. He was angry and hurt and sad and he didn't really know how to express them all to Cas without scaring him off, even though he had done it before and Castiel had promised nothing would ever change their friendship or make him want to leave. His friend was vulnerable right now, he had just woken up from a coma for God's sake! He looked outside the hospital room and then glanced back at Cas, who was staring at him with hurt in his eyes that sure as hell didn't go unnoticed.

"Can I ask you one thing?" Cas nodded as Dean continued. "Do you regret it?...I mean, do you regret what was about to happen?"

_No. No. No. NO. Not. At. All. _Nothing came out of his mouth. Instead, Castiel just looked down at his fingers he had been fidgeting around with. He wanted to tell Dean that he wouldn't have traded that moment for anything, for getting out of the hospital, moving out of Zachariah's house, graduating high school top in his class, for the _world_.

Dean's facial expression was hard to miss. He looked so shattered, so hurt. Maybe even more than when Rufus once told him Castiel had a slim-to-none chance in making it through the coma. He looked at Cas and then down at the floor. He opened the door to exit, turned to his best friend and was about to say goodbye before he was pushed over by a round man with whitish hair and a stern expression on his face. He looked at the older man and then left the room, trying hard to hold back his tears. "No." Castiel whispered as his doctor entered the room and started talking to his uncle about when he would be released.

* * *

It had been two weeks since Dean last saw Cas, or had spoken to him. He got the scoop on his progress from Gabriel, who didn't know what was going on or what had happened in Castiel's room after he left that day. But he knew better than to pry into Cas's business, he always got mad at him when he did that. It was the day Castiel was being released from the hospital and Dean had offered to go with Gabe but he told him Cas had insisted on him going alone. Dean took that as a sign that him and Cas were never going to be like they used to be, even though nothing even happened two weeks prior. Maybe Castiel didn't like him that way, maybe he was just being, well, Cas. The kid never really got the whole "personal space" thing, but that day had seemed so different to Dean, like Cas _wanted _to be that close, like he was doing it on purpose.

Sam and Dean were sitting on the couch waiting for John to get home from a job he was working. The tv was on but the room seemed so silent. Obviously Gabe had told Sam what happened in the hospital but he knew better than to bring it up with Dean, but the youngest Winchester was worried about his brother, probably due to the fact that their father didn't give a rat's ass about either one of them. He could tell that the whole situation with Cas was eating away at Dean, but how could he help? If he asked Dean what happened or why it didn't happen, Dean would probably get up and storm off to his room or take a drive somewhere. Sam didn't care, he decided to take a chance.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" Dean replied, not moving his eyes from the tv in front of him.

"What's going on with you and Cas?"

Sam noticed Dean slightly look away from the tv, moving his eyes to the right side of the room and then towards him.

"Nothing. Why?"

"I…I don't know Dean it's just…well…you've been acting weird all week and you haven't been to the hospital to see him. You haven't even really been talking to him…or about him. I don't know, I'm just worried about you." Sam looked as his brother looked down at his shoes then focused on him once again.

"Nothing's going on Sammy. Nothing to worry about. I'm fine, really." He smiled then turned back to the tv. Sam noticed that it most definitely wasn't a genuine smile.

They sat watching tv for another half an hour. Dean kept looking around the room, not paying much attention to the tv, despite the fact his favorite show was on. Sam was becoming very impatient and the fact that he knew what was bothering his brother wasn't making the feeling go away. He decided to speak up again, and he knew what he was about to say wasn't going to turn out well.

"I know about what happened at the hospital Dean." He looked at his brother who became stiffer than one of those celebrities who sign up to be on those stupid dancing reality shows.

Dean took a sip of soda before replying to his brother. "I don't know what you're talking about Sammy."

"First of all, don't call me that. I'm not five anymore." He saw a small smirk appear on Dean's face which meant he wasn't half as mad as he thought he would be. "And second of all, yes you do. Gabe told me what he almost saw. Don't kill him. It was for your own good. Besides, I think you and Cas make a great couple." He turned to Dean who was trying to hide his slightly pink cheeks.

He waited for Dean to say something but that obviously wasn't going to happen.

"So why haven't you kissed…I mean…gone to see him yet?" Sam said with a growing smile on his face.

Dean chuckled before softly punching his brother on the arm. "Before I left that day he told me I didn't need to come see him anymore because he was better. I asked him if he regretted what might've happened and he didn't say anything. He just sat there Sam! Didn't say ONE thing to me. What am I supposed to do? Call him up and say 'Hey Cas I'm in love with you but you don't feel the same way about me so yeah' and then hang up because I'm a freaking idiot who never should've called in the first place?!" After he was done rambling on and on he saw the look on Sam's face and then realized what he had said. He just confessed to his brother, and more importantly to himself, for the _first_ time, that he was in love in his best friend.

He threw his head back and hit his head on the back of the couch. Sam started laughing but a smile resided on his face after his giggling subsided. Dean wanted to think it was because he could've gotten a concussion from how hard he hit his head, but he knew the truth. It was because a part of him had always thought Sammy had known he liked Castiel, and he finally heard the words he had been waiting to hear.

John stumbled in around midnight. Luckily both boys were in bed so they wouldn't have to deal with him going on one of his drunken rampages and throwing things. He had always been like this, ever since his wife had left them four years ago. She had come back a few days later, for some of her things, and for her sons. But when she came back to the house, her and John fought and it ended with Mary leaving the Winchester residence, empty handed. However, she wrote them letters, even John. The only time Sam and Dean ever saw their father happy when was Mary was involved.

Dean had been lying in his bed for a few hours; too many things were on his mind. All of them having one theme in common, Castiel. He began dozing off but was awoken to his phone ringing. His eyes were still half asleep so he couldn't read the caller ID. He picked up and started speaking.

"He…hello?"

"Dean…Dean…"

"Cas…is that you? Dude, why are you calling me at…" He withdrew the phone from his ear to check the time. "3 in the morning?"

"De…Dean..I…I..Nee…"

"Cas. CAS! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I…I need yo…help me…"

"What the hell Cas? What's going on?" He said as he fumbled in the dark, trying to find a pair of pants, knocking something off the table beside his bed. "SHIT!"

"I'm…I'm home…Dean…"

He heard something fall on Cas's end of the phone. "I'm on my way, Cas don't worry. Just stay where you are, I'm coming." He grabbed his keys off his desk and hung up the phone. He made his way outside to his car and quickly sped down the street, afraid of what was awaiting him three blocks away.

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**Just wanted to let you know I have Chapter 9 practically done, I just need to add a few more things and it should be up either tomorrow or the next day! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning: The first part of this chapter contains brief-attempted suicide, NOTHING BAD BECAUSE NOTHING HAPPENED and SLIGHT homophobia. Ok so this is up sooner than I thought! I had a lot of time to do nothing today so I managed to finish this and get some ideas for Chapter 10! The next chapter may not be up for a while, I'm starting exams this week and I really need to study. PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you, enjoy Chapter 9! xx (:**

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Dean arrived at the Novak's house in a short amount of time, three minutes if you wanted to be exact. He walked up the door and was about to knock but then remembered Cas had always left a spare key at the bottom of the mailbox in case he forgot his. According to Dean, Cas would probably search around for hours for his head if it wasn't already screwed on. He was one of the most organized teenagers Dean had ever met, but he was also one of the most forgetful. He picked up the key and opened the door, which led into the living room. Once he was inside, he whispered Cas's name but when he got no response he ran up the stairs to the second floor. He knocked on Cas's bedroom door and opened it but the boy wasn't in there. It was also apparent that Castiel was the only one home. His brother, uncle, and the guest rooms' doors were all open, with no signs of any other people. He walked down the hall to the bathroom and saw that the light was on. He went to open the door but it was locked.

"Dean?" He heard Cas call from the other side of the door.

"Cas! Open the door, it's locked. I can't get in."

The door clicked but didn't open. Dean took the doorknob and twisted it, scared to see what was behind it. He swung it open to find Castiel sitting on the floor, pills scattered around the room, a few in Castiel's hand. The empty bottle lay beside Cas and tears were running down his face, like children sledding down a hill after a snowstorm. He picked up the bottle and looked his friend square in the eye, taking the pills out of Cas's hand and putting them back in the bottle.

"How many did you take Cas?" he asked, holding up the bottle, trying to be stern enough to get an answer out of him but not enough to frazzle him even more. When he didn't answer, he asked again, a deeper tone in his voice.

"CAS. How many did you take?"

"I…I only took two. I…I wanted to take more bu…but I couldn't do it. Dean…" He wrapped his arms around his best friend, pulling him close. Dean inched his way out of his friend's grip after a minute and looked at Cas, who was wiping tears away from beneath his eyes.

"Are you gonna tell me what happened?" Dean asked, his voice filled with concern.

Castiel shook his head.

"Cas…you called me at 3 in the morning, almost downed a bottle of pills and you have the freakin' Niagara Falls coming out of your eyes. What happened?" Dean said, placing his hand on Cas's shoulder.

His Niagara Falls comment earned him a slight chuckle from Castiel, but he still wasn't talking. He was going to have to do the good-cop-bad-cop thing, by himself.

"Where are Gabe and your uncle?" Castiel shrugged before crawling around and starting to pick up the pills off the floor and toss them in the garbage.

Dean reached over and took the pills out of Cas's hand. Both hands were now resting on Castiel's shoulders and he was staring straight into his deep, ocean blue eyes. One close up glance into them and you could see just how broken Cas had become, almost too broken to be fixed.

"Cas…please. _Please_ tell me what happened." Cas nodded.

"Well we…we got home from the hospital, Gabriel and I. Zachariah was sitting in his chair in the living room as usual. He sa…said nothing to us so we went straight upstairs. I walked into my room and I sat on my be…bed just looking around for a while. Gabriel eventually sat next to me and that's when…." He stopped his sniffle-filled sentence and looked up at Dean, a tear ran down his cheek as he looked at the floor.

"That's when what?" Dean sensed Castiel didn't want to continue but he needed to know what had gotten his best friend to resort back to his old ways.

"Gabriel asked me about the…the hospital. What he saw…or rather what he _didn't_ see."

"I was…I was talking to him about it. And about how I…I was feeling…about you." He looked up at Dean, who was sitting there wide-eyed. "That's when Zachariah busted into the room. He had been eavesdropping on our entire conversation. He started calling me na…names and said things like how he hadn't raised a queer and he wouldn't have one living under his roof. He…he grabbed me… by my arm and dragged me into the car and drove to the church. He told me going to church would 'fix me.' He talked to the priest and told him I was an 'abomination' and…" The tears were now coming out of Castiel's eyes harder and faster than before. "and the priest sa…said I needed to stop feeling this way. He said it was a sin. But Dean, I…I can't help the way I feel. I just do, it's not a choice. I can't choose who I fall in lo…" He stopped his thought and quickly changed the subject, afraid to say the words that were on the tip of his tongue. "Gabriel picked me up shortly after and brought me home. Zachariah hasn't been home since and…and Gabe said he was going out to find something a few…ho…hours ago."

Dean got up and grabbed a tissue and sat back down next to Castiel. Castiel looked at him and smiled, going to take the tissue. Dean pulled it back and shook his head. He took the tissue and wiped the tears away from Cas's eyes and then dried his chin. He opened his arms and brought Cas into him. Cas immediately fell into Dean and started crying again. They sat there in silence; the only audible noise was that of Cas's few sobs he had managed out. His face was buried in Dean's chest, almost as if it was natural, like he was meant to be there. Dean rocked him back and forth slightly, telling him that everything was going to be okay and that he wasn't going to leave him. Cas eventually fell asleep and Dean couldn't help but shed a few tears of his own. Cas was one of the best people he knew, and he definitely didn't deserve half of the crap he got and had been through throughout his life. Dean took it upon himself at the age of 12 to be Castiel's very own guardian angel. He carried his friend to his room and placed him in his bed, covering him in blankets and placing a glass of water next to his bed in case he woke up. He gently kissed him on the forehead but before he could leave the side of the bed, Castiel's hand softly grabbed his wrist and spoke.

"Stay." Was the only word he said.

Dean slipped off his shoes and jacket. He slid into Castiel's bed and as soon as his head hit the pillow he felt a sudden warmth in his chest. Needless to say, the warmth was really on his chest due to Cas nuzzling his way closer to Dean. Dean was never one for 'cuddling' but he didn't consider this cuddling, and it was with Cas. He needed some comfort and that was the only thing Dean knew he was good at. He slid one arm under Cas's back and one arm over him. Cas moved in tighter next to Dean, squashing any distance they had before. He heard Cas say something but he wasn't sure what he heard.

"Hmm?" He mumbled.

"No." Castiel repeated.

"No what?" Dean asked in confusion.

"No. I don't regret it."

Dean opened his eyes and looked over at Castiel who was intently staring at him with a smile on his face. Dean couldn't help but smile back. The next thing he knew, the warmth on his chest had disappeared and had made its way onto his lips. It then occurred to him that he was being kissed. _Cas_ was kissing _him_. The kiss was chaste and very brief, but it gave Dean all the answers to the questions he had been asking himself for so long. Cas removed his lips from Dean's and muttered 'I certainly didn't regret that.' And placed his head back on Dean's chest, folding an arm around him. Dean could feel Castiel smile against him as he began dozing off. That night both boys went to sleep, in each other's arms, and with smiles wider than the Cheshire cat's.

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**Is this what you've all been waiting for? :D please let me know what you think about my fluff, first time I've written it so let me know if I did good!**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter isn't very long, sorry! I just thought the rest of my ideas for what happens next would fit better in another chapter! I'd just like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed my story so far, they make me so happy. Chapter 11 will be up shortly since I have all the ideas ready to go! Keep reviewing! Don't forget to favorite and follow as well! And...ON WITH CHAPTER 10! Enjoy (: xx**

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_Carry on my wayward son_

_There'll be peace when you are done_

_Lay your weary head to rest_

_Don't you cry no more_

Dean suddenly woke up to the sound of his cellphone ringing. He looked over to his right and saw Castiel sleeping next to him, stirring because of the unexpected noise. He could get used to waking up like this. He softly got up out of the bed, grabbing his phone, making sure not to wake Cas up. He looked so peaceful when he was sleeping; it reminded Dean of the angels he saw in the books his mother used to read to him when he was younger. He opened his phone and whispered into it as he tiptoed out of the room.

"DEAN! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"Sammy? Why the hell are you yelling? I'm at Cas's. I slept over, he…he needed someone last night."

"Dad left for work early this morning but…but…"

"Spit it out Sam! But what? What's going on?"

"There's someone downstairs…"

"Dude WHAT THE HELL? Stop being a sissy and go downstairs!"

"Jerk! I'm being serious Dean. Get home now!"

"I'm on my way, give me a few."

The brothers said their goodbyes and Dean walked back into Castiel's room to find his angel-like….friend? Sitting up, looking around the room.

"Morning Sunshine." Dean said with a smile, eyeing Cas's messy head of hair. "Feeling any better?"

"Good morning Dean." Cas replied, with the same smile Dean had greeted him with. "And yes, I am. Thank you for staying with me last night, I…I needed"

"Don't mention it man, I'm actually glad you called me instead of some other jerk."

"You're far from a jerk Dean." He noticed Dean's gaze wasn't on him, but rather something else. "What are you staring a…" He touched his hair and realized he was staring at his infamous 'sex-hair.'

Dean started laughing at the face Cas made as he touched his head and realized he had a serious case of bed head. He put on his shoes while he sat on the edge of Cas's bed. While tying his laces, he was thinking about what had happened last night. Cas hadn't mentioned it and as happy as it made him, he didn't want to seem like a teenage girl who had finally got asked out a date by the cute guy in her math class by bringing it up. Although, getting asked out on a date did seem like a good idea. He looked up at Cas who was still trying to tame his hair and started chuckling.

"Dean it isn't funny. My hair is getting very unruly. I might have to cut it."

"What?! Cas no. That's what makes you, you. Keep it like that." Dean said, kissing Castiel on the cheek before getting up. The blush on Castiel's face was enough to make his cheeks look like apples. Dean remembered they hadn't figured out what they were yet and immediately went to say 'sorry' but was cut off by Cas.

"You should never apologize for something you don't regret." Cas said, smirking like Dean usually did.

"Hey, Sammy called earlier and told me someone's in our house and he's being a little bitch so I need to go and check. You gonna be okay by yourself?"

"Someone's in your house?" Cas asked, tilting his head to the side.

Dean always loved when he did that, it made him happy. "Yeah, it was probably just my dad. Or Bobby. Anyway, I was wondering if you're not doing anything later we could catch a movie or something?"

"Is Dean Winchester asking me on a date?" Cas said, and the tone in his voice was unfamiliar so Dean couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not.

"I…uhhh…"

Cas couldn't hold back his laughter at the sight of a nervous Dean. "I'd love to." He shot him a sweet smile before continuing. "And yes Dean, I'll be fine. I think I heard either Gabriel or Zachariah come in this morning so I suppose I can sort out the problems." Cas stood up, making his way over to his dresser.

"If Zachariah lays one finger on you so God help me I will…."

"Dean." Castiel walked over to him and shoved him a little, causing Dean to now be standing outside the door. "Go." He said, giving him a smile as he shut the door behind him.

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Dean walked into the house and heard talking. 'Wow kid actually stopped being a little bitch for once' he thought to himself as he heard his brother talking to someone in the kitchen. He heard laughing so Sam must know the person he's talking to. But, it wasn't a man's laugh. It was a woman's. Dean opened the door that led into their compact kitchen to find Sam sitting at the kitchen table and a tall woman standing at the stove. She had long, curly blonde hair that reminded him of his mother. She always stood there making him breakfast when he was a kid, usually cereal, but on some extra special mornings there'd be a plate with scrambled eggs and bacon on the table waiting for him. They used to get along, John and Mary. Dean always told himself he couldn't wait to fall in love with someone like his parents. It all went downhill when John started working late and coming home drunk, that's when the violence started and he guessed his mother had had enough and that's why she left. Seeing this look-alike brought back something he hadn't thought about it a while, and he finally noticed the tear making its way down his cheek. Sam turned around but luckily didn't see the droplet on Dean's face because he quickly wiped it off.

"Dean! You're home!" Sam said, smiling at him like he hadn't even called in the first place.

"Yea…yeah I'm home Sammy. Who's this?" He asked, pointing to the woman who still hadn't turned around to greet him. He took that as a little rude since she _was_ a guest.

"Umm…well I think you might know that already."

"What are you talking about?" The confusion is his voice filled the room.

The blonde woman turned around to show her face. It was a face he had seen before, a face he could never forget, the face of the woman that had left his life years ago. Mary Winchester.

"Hi Dean." She said, her voice sounded like an angel. Everything about her was like that, as if it weren't real, as if he was still sleeping beside Cas, dreaming his mother had come back to save him and his brother.

"Mom?"

"Yes." She smiled at her older son before walking over to where he was standing and placing her arms around him, holding him. He didn't move for a few seconds, still fearing this moment wasn't real. He mind was more confused than ever. Hatred, hurt, love, happiness, sadness, a mix of emotions swimming through his mind. He didn't know what to feel when he saw his mother's face turn around and smile at him and hug him like she hadn't just up and left all those years ago.

"What are you doing here?" He finally got up the nerve to say something as he loosened away from his mother's hug.

"I'm home." Mary replied with a smile, which didn't stay on her face for long because she was staring at her son's face, it looked less than pleased. "Dean?"

He stood there silent. Mary and Sam looked at each other and then his mother decided enough was enough.

"Dean? What's wrong?" She asked, getting up and placing a hand on his shoulder.

He moved back, letting Mary's hand fall down to her hip. "You think you can just leave us here with Dad drinking and come back and pretend like everything's okay?" Dean looked away, lifting his hands to his face.

"Dean…" Sam interrupted.

"No Sam. I'm not just gonna sit down and pretend we're the freaking Brady's when we're not!" He turned to look at Mary, the hurt so goddamn visible in his face. "You left us Mom! You left us when we needed you. And when you left…" He recalled all the times John had hit him when he had too much to drink and blame him for his mother leaving. Mary walked over to Dean, going to hug him but once again he turned away.

"No. NO. You don't get to hug me and tell me everything's gonna be okay. I needed that years ago, I sure as hell don't need it now." He yelled, storming out of the kitchen, making his way to the front door.

"Dean! DEAN!" The two remaining Winchesters screamed after him in unison. There was no reply except for the slam of their front door and the roar of an ancient car racing down the street.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! This chapter is more than I've ever written, I'm proud of myself! I'm thinking there's going to be a few more chapters before I finish the story. Thank you so much for all the reviews, they make me want to keep writing! And thank you for all the favorites and follows! So PLEASE review! Here's Chapter 11, Enjoy! (: xx**

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Dean drove down the street, flipping through his cassettes, trying to pick one that made him calm down and stop the tears. He got nothing. He couldn't figure out why his mother had finally come back. But more importantly, why had she just shown up like that and then acted like nothing was wrong? He wasn't paying attention to the road and quickly swerved to the left, almost hitting a squirrel. He honked the horn and heard various curses being thrown his way from the people who lived on that street. He flipped them off and turned the corner. He got to Cas' house in just under ten minutes, debating whether or not to go in. Dean heard the ringtone of his phone but decided not to look at the caller ID. The only thing he needed was Cas. He needed to see him, he needed to hug him, he needed him.

He walked up to the front door, wiping his eyes to clear them of any visible tears. The door opened to find Gabriel eating a chocolate bar.

"Deano!" He said with a mouthful of the sugary snack he held in his hand.

"Hey Gabe is uhhh Cas home?"

"Afraid not! He went out a little while ago, he was acting weird this morning. You know anything about that?"

Dean looked down at his shoes then back up at Gabe. "Nope. Maybe it was the fight with your uncle he had last night?"

"So you heard?" The happiness is Gabriel's voice had taken a vacation at the mention of the debacle from the previous night.

"Yeah Cas called last night to talk to me. Your uncle's a dick Gabe, I don't know why you put up with his shit."

"We have nowhere else to go Dean. What do you expect me to do? I mean if it was up to me, the bag of dicks would be half way around the world and I'd be in Pennsylvania right now." He let out a big smile, staring up at sky like he was talking about heaven.

Dean started laughing. "Pennsylvania?"

"Hells yeah! I'm talking renting out a hotel room at Hershey Park for the rest of my life!"

Dean was still laughing. As much as he wanted to sit in his car and cry his eyes out, Gabe lifted his mood a smidge. He needed a laugh, it got his mind off of everything, even if it was only for a few seconds.

"So you don't know where Cas went?"

"Not a clue Deano, sorry."

"Well if you see him tell him I was asking for him."

Gabe called back "Will do!" from the door as Dean walked back to his car. He turned around before Gabriel shut his front door.

"Hey Gabe?"

"Yeah?" he yelled from the distance.

"Don't call me that." He smirked as he got into the car, waving at Gabe before his friend went back inside his historic, Victorian era house.

As he drove away, his phone started ringing again. He didn't pick up. It rang again. He rejected the call. Once again, his phone rang and as much as he loved Kansas, that song was getting on his last nerve. He picked up the phone.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?"

"Dean, why are you shouting at me?"

"Cas? Oh hey sorry I thought you were.."

"Sam?"

"Yeah."

"He called me."

"Oh yeah? What'd he say to you? Did he tell you…."

"Yes. He told me you ran off for no reason. Dean…are you okay?"

So Sam had decided to leave it up to his brother to tell Castiel that their mother was back. 'Great.' Dean thought to himself as he went through options on how to tell his friend that his mom had come back sometime throughout the night.

"I just, I don't know Cas. I really need to talk to you. And I went to your house and you…you weren't there."

"Calm down, I'm at the library picking up some books. Meet me here, we can talk."

Dean sensed the smile Cas had on his face through the phone. Boy, did he have it _bad_.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in a few."

"I'll be waiting." Cas replied, Dean still sensed his smile but this time he could tell it was a smirk. The line went dead and he made a right onto Colt Ave, two blocks from the town library.

He walked into the tall, burgundy building, expecting to see a crowd of nerds sitting in a circle reading to each other and fangirling over their favorite books. Instead, he found an older woman sitting behind a wooden desk, helping a younger child find his way to a book. He saw a couple of people using the computers and they all seemed happy to be there. Not to mention the thousands of rows of books surrounding the enormous room. As much as Dean couldn't stand books, or people, or quiet, this place uplifted his mood the moment he walked through the door. Something about the silence and the happiness that filled the air made him feel at ease. Now all he needed to do was find Castiel and that would make it ten times better.

He made his way through the floor with occasional stares, but that didn't faze him in the least. He looked up at the signs, telling you what author was located in what section. He looked for the authors Cas always talked about. Dickens, Wilde, Hemingway. He could easily recall anything Cas ever told him. That was how much he paid attention when Castiel talked to him, that's how much he cared about him.

He walked through each aisle of books on the right side of the room, not finding Cas anywhere. He strutted across the room to the other side, focusing his eyes on the messy haired boy he had woken up next to this morning. Dean walked over to where Cas was standing, his back towards him. He must've known it was Dean because he started reading out loud.

_Love looks not with the eyes,_

_ but with the mind, _

_And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind_

Castiel turned around to face Dean, a sweet smile at on his face as he read the lines.

"What?" Dean asked.

"It's Shakespeare." Castiel answered, giggling a little before closing the book and placing in its proper place on the shelf in front of him.

"Surprisingly, I know who it is. I just don't know what it means."

"Does it have to mean anything?"

"No. I guess not."

Castiel sat on the couch next to the bookshelf. He half smiled before patting the cushion beside him, asking Dean to sit down. Dean plopped down next to Cas, noticing the book in his hand.

_All this happened, more or less. The war parts anyway, are pretty much true._

Dean looked over at Castiel who had the book open and was reading the first page aloud.

"Vonnegut?" Dean asked, a little smidge of happiness was audible in his voice.

"I know how much you like him, and this book." Cas returned the glance and looked over at Dean, smiling at him. "Remember freshman year you wouldn't shut up about it." He started laughing.

"Hey! It's a classic. One of the best books I've read."

"Don't you mean one of the _only_ books you've read?"

Dean nudged Cas' shoulder, a silent way of telling him to be quiet. He smiled and rested his head on Cas' shoulder, who had continued reading a few moments ago.

About half an hour later Dean woke up to find his head buried in Castiel's lap. Cas was reading a book and didn't seem to be bothered by it one bit. He picked up his head and Cas turned to look at him, closing his book.

"How was your nap?" He asked.

"It was good, didn't even know I fell asleep."

"Sam called while you were out. Dean…"

"Cas I know what you're gonna say. I know I need to go home and talk with them but I just can't. I have nothing to say."

"You can talk to me about it. Dean, you can tell me anything, you know that." Cas placed a sympathetic hand on Dean's knee.

Dean placed his own hand atop of Cas'.

"I will, I'll tell you what happened. Everything. But right now, I really do need to get home and patch things up, as much as I don't want to."

"We can walk out together." He smiled at Dean who was already up and making his way over to the front door.

They walked out of the building to Dean's car. Cas was going to say goodbye but Dean opened the passenger door and told him to get in.

"Dean, my house is a few blocks away from here. I am perfectly fine with walking."

"Nope!" He got into the driver's seat and motioned his hand for Cas to get into the car as well. "You're not walking home, I'm driving you."

Cas sighed and got into the car, slamming the door after him.

"Geez Cas! What'd my baby ever do to you?"

Cas laughed. "Your baby?"

"Oh shut up, you know how much I love yo…this car." He froze, staring out of the dashboard window. What had he just said? Or, almost said?

"What did you just say?" Cas asked, just as shocked as Dean was, maybe even slightly more.

"Just making sure you know how much I love my car."

"Mhm, oh of course."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing Dean."

"Nothing my ass Cas! What did you mean?"

"Well you were about to say you…instead of car. I just thought…"

"You thought what Cas?"

"Nothing Dean! Stop asking me, I didn't mean anything else. I just meant what I said."

Dean looked down at lap, figuring out if what he was about to say was the right thing. But after a moment, he decided he had waited long enough and Castiel basically knew what he was going to say anyway.

"What if I do?" Dean said.

"Excuse me?" Cas looked over at Dean, even more confused of that than the little married couple argument they just had.

"What if I said what I almost said?"

Cas was now the one looking at his lap, unsure of how to react to Dean's words.

"Wha…" He couldn't find any other words to say.

"What if I said I loved you?" Dean asked, staring at the boy who was purposely trying not to make eye contact with him.

Castiel's eyes widened. He picking his head up and looked at Dean, meeting his stare. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever before Castiel finally answered Dean's question.

"I'd say it back."

"Would you really?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." He said, smiling at Dean.

What made Dean smile weren't the words he had just heard, or the smile Cas had on his face. What made him smile was the fact that he had found it, what he had wanted since he was little, sitting at the kitchen table, watching his parents steal kisses when they thought he wasn't looking, his dad wrapping his arms around his mother's waist and both of them looking at one another like this was the last time they would ever see each other and smiling like they were looking at the stars in the night sky, making a wish. He had found love. More importantly, he had found love in his best friend. He had fallen in love with Castiel and he didn't want to ever fall out of it.

That smile was plastered on his face the whole drive to Castiel's house.

When Cas got out of the car, instead of walking up the path to the front door, he walked around the car to the Dean's side, gesturing for him to roll down his window. Once Dean rolled the window, he thanked Cas for being there for him today, and reading his favorite book to him. He said you're welcome and before Dean rolled his window back up; Cas stuck his head into the car and kissed Dean. It was only a peck, but it was enough for both of them to smile at each other like two lovebirds getting home from their first date.

"Are we still on for that movie later?" Cas asked.

"I'll pick you up at 7?"

"I'll be ready at 6:45." Cas replied, with a sweet smile before making his way down the path to the front door and waving at Dean as his engine roared down the street.

* * *

Dean walked into his house five minutes later, to find Mary sitting on the couch and his brother, nowhere in sight. Mary looked up from the television, seeing her son standing at the front door. It was obvious he didn't know what to do. She waved her hand at him, asking him to take a seat next to her.

"Honey, before you say anything, I know you're angry at me. I get it. But please, sit down so I can explain okay?"

"Did you explain it to Sam?" Dean answered, hesitantly taking the seat beside his mother.

"No, I wanted to talk to you first. You stormed out of here so quickly before, I wanted to tell you before Sam."

Dean didn't say anything; he didn't really _know_ what to say. He waited a minute before his mother got the idea and started talking again.

"There really is no easy way to say this Dean. Just promise me you'll listen?"

"I promise."

"Well….it was about five years ago. I would be fine during the day, perfectly happy. But when I went to bed, I started having these…these dreams. They were odd, very strange. I thought maybe they were just some silly nightmares, until I started seeing them during the day." She looked down at her hands, wiping her eyes.

Dean saw that his mother was uncomfortable talking about this, and it was his fault she had to.

"Mom…" He placed his hand on her back, moving it up and down, trying to comfort her. She let out a soft smile. "You don't have to…"

She put her hand on his knee and slightly squeezed it, pulling in back after a second.

"No, Dean. I need to tell you why I left, I have to." Dean nodded in response to his mother's words.

"I started seeing my nightmares during the day, at random times. At work, while I was cooking, when I was on the phone or watching tv. There were these eyes. An ugly shade of yellow, just staring at me and the man they belonged to would just laugh. In some of them, they tried taking your brother. I would just…just fall to the floor and bawl my eyes out with my hands on my head screaming."

Dean looked at his mother in horror. John had always blamed his sons for her leaving, but now he was getting the truth. It wasn't his fault or Sammy's fault or even his mom's fault. He wanted to hug Mary and take away the visible pain she was feeling by telling him this story.

"I told your father once. He told me I was crazy and that I needed help. But little old me thought they would just go away." She was now crying, but every time Dean would reach out, she'd shake her head and move away. "They got worse Dean, so much worse. The yellow-eyed man started killing me. Burning me on the ceiling of my own house. Tha…that's when your dad started drinking. One day he had had enough of my crazy talk and drove me to a mental hospital a few hours away from here."

This time when Dean went to hug her, she fell into his arms, still crying.

"I'm so sorry I left you honey, I'm so sorry."

Dean stroked her hair, a few tears falling from his own eyes.

"I'm so sorry Dean. And to Sammy too."

"Mom, please don't apologize. You needed the help, you had to leave. I'm sorry I was such a jerk before. I'm sorry mom, please don't cry."

Mary pulled back from the hug, taking the tissue her son offered her.

"I…I got released a few days ago, your dad said it'd be best if I didn't come home just yet. He came to get me last night."

She placed her hands on top of Dean's.

"Sweetie, it was the first time in years I was happy. I couldn't wait to come and see you boys. I missed you both so much." She saw Dean crying and wiped his tears away from his eyes, earning a smile from him. "You know, what's sad though was that Sammy didn't know who I was at first. He came into the kitchen holding a bat." She laughed, along with Dean.

Mary opened her arms and Dean slipped his way into his mother's arms. It felt nice, he thought to himself. All these years, this had been Cas and not his mother, not that he was complaining. It felt different being hugged by his mom after so long, a good kind of different.

His day had started out perfect and then had gotten so bad and then a little better and now this. He looked up at the ceiling, pretending he was looking at God himself, thanking him for giving him someone who loved him for being the screwed up kid who was told he would never be good enough, and for this moment. For sitting here, with his mother, four years after she had taken off without an explanation, crying and laughing with her like they did before she was gone, hugging her like such a small gesture made all of his worries disappear.

"Your father swore to me he'd stop drinking and get help." Mary said, looking at Dean.

"He says that all the time."

"I think he really means it this time, give him a chance."

Dean looked away; they were having such a great time until his mom had to bring up John's drinking problem.

"I promise I won't ever leave you boys again, you hear me?"

Dean nodded.

"Mom?"

"Yes?" She answered, giving him a sweet smile.

"I missed you." He hugged her, like one of those giant bear hugs you give someone after you find out something amazing just happened.

She laughed, "I missed you too honey. I missed you too."

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**Did you enjoy the fluff? (: also, the first thing Castiel read to Dean was from****_ A Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare_**** and the second thing he read to him was from ****_Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut_****.**


	12. Chapter 12

**I uploaded this a little later than I had expected to, but no worries! I think it came out okay...I hope...anyway it's filled with fluff and it's Dean and Cas' date! Thank you so much for all the kind reviews, I really love reading them and would appreciate if you kept them coming! (: Also, thank you for all the follows and favorites, they don't go unforgotten! On with Chapter 12, enjoy! (: xx**

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It was almost 6 o clock when Cas finally got out of the shower. His nerves were zipping through his chest, his whole body to be exact. He had been asked out on dates before, but it seemed that none of them meant as much as this one. He actually _felt something_ for the person he was going out with, now what that something was, he wasn't so sure. He went through his closet full of clothes more than about three times and changing twice before opting for some dark-wash skinny jeans, a long sleeved white shirt, and a navy blue vest, one of his favorites. Cas was full of joy throughout the whole process of getting ready, just thinking about getting to go on a date with Dean and getting to be away from all the troubles life had laid upon him. He was looking forward to a night that hopefully wouldn't end tear-filled, like the past few nights had. He stumbled into the bathroom a little after 6:30, trying to somewhat tame the wild beast that had decided to nest atop his head, also known as his hair. He looked at the clock and realized Dean would be there shortly, he quickly brushed his teeth and ran down the stairs, waiting outside the door for the loud sound of Dean's car.

Over at the Winchester house, Dean wasn't so happy. He was panicking. He went over the possibilities of how he would somehow screw this up and embarrass himself in front of Cas. He hadn't dated in a while and he didn't really like the whole idea of having to go out in public just to prove to someone you liked them. He glanced at his watch, the number 6 and two zeros appeared and he knew he had to start getting ready. He had taken a shower a little while ago so now he had to decide what to wear, not that he was trying to impress someone or something. He never dressed up, always preferred jeans and a tee shirt, but tonight was different. Dean actually wanted to dress up, or dress up a little more than usual. He scrambled through his dresser, picking out a white tee shirt and a gray cardigan, he didn't even remember when he had got it but looking at it, he knew Cas would like it. He walked over to closet, taking out a pair of black jeans that had just been washed. He looked in the mirror and smiled at himself. Putting all of the stress aside, he was really looking forward to spending the night with Cas. What they were going to do, well only time would tell. He bolted down the stairs, kissing his mother goodbye and smiling at Sam, grabbing his keys and walking to his car, almost tripping over his own feet at the thought of Cas waiting outside for him as happy as ever. He raced down the street, blasting his music through the windows, singing along and thinking about the night ahead.

He arrived at Cas' house, and to his surprise Cas was sitting on the curb in front of his house, his face buried in a book. He must not have noticed Dean pulling up until he rolled down the window and started talking.

"Cas? Did it hurt?" He asked, staring intently at the other boy, eyes focusing on the blue vest he was wearing that were making his eyes bluer than ever.

Cas looked up from his book and then noticed Dean was parked in front of his house and he wondered how long he had kept him waiting. "Dean what are you talking about? Did what hurt?"

"When you fell?"

Cas got up from where he was sitting to stand against the passenger door of Dean's car and poke his head through the window, putting on his serious face. "We've been over this before; I told you I don't recall what happen…"

"From heaven?" He smiled after saying the last word.

Cas rolled his eyes, trying hard not to smile but he couldn't help it and he let a small smirk appear on his face. He went to go open the door before Dean jumped out of the car screaming,

"NO! This is a date, I'm s'posed to open the door for you."

"Well if you insist." Cas replied, getting into the car and putting his seatbelt on.

Dean got back into his side of the car and turned the music up a little too much for Cas' liking. But how could he complain? He was sitting in the car with one of the sweetest, hard-working, handsome, selfless, sexy, charming guys he's ever met and they were going to see a movie. He rested his face in his palm and turned to his right, staring out the window, looking up at the star-filled sky. It reminded him of the time him, Dean, Sam, and Gabriel all went to the planetarium a couple summers ago. It was the new thing that had just been built in Lawrence and he talked about it nonstop. Gabriel finally gave up trying to talk him out of going and convinced Dean and Sam that somehow it was their fault and that they'd have to take the trek along with them. It was one of the best memories Cas had of his childhood, being a kid, spending time with his friends somewhere he loved, and not having to worry about anything. He just stared at the moving walls of the different rooms, feeling peaceful, feeling like himself. The sound of Dean's music in the background of his memory was somewhat soothing as well.

They spent the whole twenty minutes of the car ride to the movie theater silent. But it wasn't a bad kind of silence, something about it made the two feel safe. Dean pulled into the parking lot by the theater, rushing of out of the car to open Cas' door before he could get out by himself.

"You know I have hands right? I am fully capable of opening a doo…."

Cas' words were quickly cut off by Dean's lips meeting his. It was harder than he had ever kissed him before, but he surely wasn't complaining about that. He stood still for a moment, not really sure what to do. It only took him a second to kiss Dean back, maybe even harder than he had been kissed in the first place. He placed his arms around Dean's neck, making sure their lips never fell apart. Dean slid his hands around Cas' waist, before pulling back and ending the kiss.

"Did anyone ever tell you, you talk too much?" Dean smirked.

"Well, no. But if that's your way of telling me to be quiet, I'll start talking more." Cas said, sending Dean a smirk in return.

"Next time, just don't say anything and let me open the damn door for you."

"Fine, you win." Cas replied, holding out his hand so Dean could take it in his.

Dean looked down at Cas' hand and he knew what he was waiting for. But hesitantly stood there, not sure what to do. Cas looked at Dean and frowned, putting his hand back down to his waist and placing both hands in his pockets and walking back to the car. He turned around, facing Dean.

"If you didn't want to be seen with me, then why did you kiss me out here?"

Dean saw the way Cas was looking at him, like he was the biggest screw up in the world. He walked over to where Cas was leaning against the car, head down and looking at the ground below him. Dean grabbed both of Castiel's hands, pulling them out of his pockets, and getting his attention away from the ground. When Cas picked his head up, his face was glowing…literally. The tears rolling down his cheeks caught the beams from the moon and were lighting up his face, making them visible. Dean swiped his thumb under both of his eyes, wiping away the water.

"It's not that Cas, at all. I just…didn't think you'd want everyone to know about us yet. Trust me, I don't give a CRAP what anyone thinks. I'll hold your hand whenever you want me to, just please don't cry."

His words managed a small smile out of Cas, but only for a moment.

"It's not that Dean. I just…I…I don't know." He said, tears pouring out of his eyes faster than before.

Dean put his arms around Cas, pulling him into a close hug. He could feel his breath moving up and down against his chest, making him wrap his arms tighter around him. He kept whispering "Shhh it's okay, I'm here angel, I'm not gonna leave you" to Cas. When he finally calmed down, he looked up at Dean who was sweetly smiling down at him.

"Can we get a rain check on the movie?" Cas asked, and Dean knew exactly what he meant.

"Burgers and shakes?" He answered, knowing this is what Cas wanted when he needed a little pick me up.

Cas smiled at Dean like he was some sort of superhero, but to him, he was. "You know me so well." He said, before finally being able to open his own door and get into the car.

Dean drove down the long road for a good ten minutes before arriving at a little diner, just a few blocks away from their high school. Dean and Cas walked into the establishment, hand in hand, and proceeded to find the booth they preferred to sit in when they ate there. It was occupied for the moment, so they made small talk with a tomboyish blonde waitress who went to school with them, her name was Jo. She finally seated them at the table after finishing her conversation with Castiel about British Literature and her conversation with Dean about who was going to win the super bowl this year, handing them the sticky, ancient menus, and heading back over to wait on her other customers.

"I swear Cas, these menus have gotta be from back in the 1920's. I know they're going for the whole retro-thing, but they could at least put a few bucks aside for some decent menus!"

Laughing, Cas replied, "Maybe they care more about the quality of the meals they're serving than the quality of the menus they give us."

"Well they should at least wipe them off. I mean…COME ON MAN!" He yelled quiet enough so only Cas could hear his complaints. He held up the menu, sporting a less than satisfied look on his face. "What the fuck is this?" He asked, pointing to a spot on the menu that was covered in something brown.

"Dean! Watch your language, there are children in here!"

"Yeah well isn't it past their bedtimes? I learned how to curse when I was barely 6. Anyway, you getting' the ushe?"

Cas looked up to find to Jo standing there with a smirk on her face like she had been listening to their entire conversation.

"Yes. I'll have a…"

"Two bacon burgers and one chocolate and one vanilla shake. Thanks Jo." Dean answered for them both, closing his menu and taking Cas' and handing them to Jo as she walked off to place their order.

"You don't need to order for me Dean."

"Hey man! This is still a date, quit complaining Cas. I'm trying to be cute." He said, making a kissy face at Cas.

"You know, saying you're trying to be cute and then making that face makes you at least five percent less attractive." Cas smirked, smiling up at Jo who had brought over their milkshakes.

"Oh, so you think I'm attractive?"

"Shut it, Winchester."

"You only call me by my last name when I'm right." Dean retorted, taking a sip of his vanilla milkshake.

"I'm not even going to reply to that." Cas said, following Dean and taking a sip of his own milkshake.

"You just did." He smirked as he saw Cas roll his eyes. "So umm Cas? Can I…uhh…ask you a question?"

"Of course Dean."

"I know you said you didn't want to talk about it but I'm just worried. I mean, I care about you, a lot, and I hate seeing you cry but…why were you crying back in the parking lot?"

Cas looked down at his nearly full glass of the frozen drink in front of him. He wanted to tell Dean what happened, he knew he could help, but he was embarrassed and he didn't want to talk about it. Before he could even open his mouth to reply, Jo came over with the two burgers they had ordered. 'Saved by the food' he thought to himself as he took a bite of the juicy heaven that was placed on the table beside his milkshake. He sent Dean a look that meant they'd talk about it later.

Throughout their meal, there wasn't much of anything said. Except for Cas occasionally quoting lines from Vonnegut books and Dean trying to guess what book it was from. This little game resorted back to their childhood when they had spent a night at the Winchester house during a blackout and had nothing else to do. They were about ten years old at the time, who knew that after seven years they'd still be playing the same game, except with better authors other than Arnold Lobel or Judy Blume.

After finishing their burgers and shakes and Cas finally allowing Dean to pay for him, they walked out of the diner, waving goodbye to Jo and then grabbing each other's hands as they walked out of the door and to the car. Cas's hand remained on Dean's knee for the whole drive home. It hadn't been the night he expected it to be, sure it had been tear filled like he hadn't hoped for, but Dean was there to catch him when he would fall, he always had and he always would. It had been two years ago when Castiel realized he had feelings stronger than friendship towards Dean. These past couple of days just made him realize even more why he had fallen in love with Dean Winchester. When they pulled up to his house, he hesitated in the car a moment, not wanting to leave. Dean was about to ask Cas what was wrong before he was being attacked, lip-on-lip style. Cas cupped Dean's cheeks, placing his mouth on top of his, moving up and down, slowly licking the crease of Dean's mouth before he opened it, letting Cas feel away the inside of his mouth. Both tongues started fighting for dominance, it wasn't decided who had won the battle before Dean's mouth slowly moved down Castiel's, making his way towards his neck. He moved his hands down Castiel's chest, pulling the fabric of the white shirt that was sticking out of the bottom of the vest he wanted to yank off, his hands finally landing on his hips, keeping a firm grip while continuing to kiss him. Once he had kissed the top of his throat, he started kissing down his neck gently, earning a few small sounds from Cas, causing him to smile uncontrollably. After their heavy make out session, Cas once again kissed Dean, this time as a sign of saying goodbye. He said thank you for dinner and opened the car door, seeing himself out and walking up his driveway slowly, and what looked to Dean like very uncomfortably. It was safe to say they were both in the same boat on that one. He knew he wouldn't have much time to sleep that night because of his little 'situation' he had going on, but it was sure as hell worth every second. He smiled and waved at Cas before zooming down the street, out of sight. Once Dean's car was far enough away, Cas made his way back down the driveway and walked down the street, turning the corner. He got into a black Honda Civic that had to have been made no later than 2002. Once his seatbelt was on, Gabriel sighed and said,

"I hope that date was freaking worth it."

"Oh trust me Gabriel, it was worth it."

Gabe turned to face Cas who was looking at him with a weary smile on his face. He patted him on the shoulder, it was going to be okay, it had to be okay, right?

"Don't worry baby bro, it'll all be okay. I'll make sure of it."

"I hope you're right Gabriel," Cas replied, turning his head to look out the window as Gabe started driving away. "I hope you're right."


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so sorry for not uploading this sooner! I didn't know where to take it but I had a few ideas so hopefully they worked. Thank you soooo much for all the favorites and follows, I appreciate them all! Don't forget to review! (: Enjoy Chapter 13! xx**

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The drive to the nearest motel was nothing short of awkward except for the occasional laugh when Gabriel continuously couldn't figure out the exit. They arrived in a little less than half an hour, not speaking one word of why they were sleeping on questionably sanitary beds in a sleazy motel instead of their own beds, in their own house. Castiel fell asleep with a smile on his face, smiling a real smile because he finally found something that was worth it. Dean Winchester was worth it.

The next couple of weeks had flew by and before anyone knew it, it was a Friday. Dean and Cas had invited Sam and Gabe to the movies with them, even though it was supposed to be a date. They both enjoyed the company of their brothers, and the other wasn't complaining. Dean drove them to the town theater and Gabriel offered to pay for the tickets. Once inside, they all got snacks, Gabriel buying literally every last candy box available. If he kept that up, Cas just might have to ship him off to Pennsylvania. They sat through some awful movie about vampires, Dean and Cas' hands interlocked for the two hours. Occasionally, Sam and Gabe glanced over at them and back at each other, smiling. They were happy their brothers had finally figured out what they had figured out years ago. After the movie Dean suggested Castiel and Gabriel sleep over but they both denied, lying, saying Zachariah didn't want them out that late. They all said their goodbyes before Dean raced to open Cas' door to open it so he could step out of the car.

"Didn't I tell you I was capable of…."

Dean pressed his lips against Castiel's as if it was the last time they would see each other. Cas returned the kiss, harder than Dean had, bringing his hand up to cup Dean's cheek. He could feel Dean smile during the kiss and couldn't help but smile the same. Dean positioned his hands on Castiel's waist, letting them fall onto his hips before moving closer to Cas. They could've done this all night if Gabriel hadn't made an obnoxious sound, telling them to knock it off. They both pulled back and laughed as Sam put on his one of his infamous bitch faces and getting into the front of the car. Dean opened his door and smiled at Cas who said, "See you tomorrow, hot stuff." Before winking and walking with Gabriel, who was in the middle of rolling his eyes, down their driveway.

Dean drove off, smiling. Sam looked over at him and he was happy for his brother, he really was, but they couldn't avoid the John topic forever.

"You think Dad's home yet?" He asked, turning to Dean, seeing the noticeable smile fall right off of his brother's face.

"I don't know Sammy."

After a moment of silence, Sam spoke up again.

"Do you really think rehab did him any good?"

"Like I said Sammy, I don't know. Maybe, who really knows?"

"Yeah."

When the boys arrived home they saw John and Mary, fast asleep on the couch. They figured he had come home, better than when he had put himself in rehab, and him and Mary had talked everything out. Watching his parents in this state reminded Dean of when he was younger and would have nightmares about the monsters under his bed. His mother would come in and carry him into his parent's bed, resting him in the middle of her and John, and he would fall asleep feeling loved and safe. He smiled at the sight of his parents resting next to each other before making his way upstairs to go to sleep himself.

* * *

"Are you sure about this Cas? What if he's home?"

"He's probably at work. I highly doubt he would be home at this hour."

"Bro, it's 6:30."

Castiel looked down at his watch.

"Wow it is. Where has the day gone? Anyway, it would only be for a minute Gabriel. Don't tell me you enjoy wearing the same three outfits every day?"

Gabriel couldn't argue with that. He drove them both to Zachariah's house, praying their uncle wasn't home.

* * *

Mary and Sam were in the kitchen cooking and Dean was watching a re-run of Doctor Sexy, M.D. on tv in the living room while John was setting the table. For the first time in what felt like forever, Dean was happy. His father wasn't stumbling home drunk at 4 o clock in the morning, him and Cas were together, and his mother was home. Dean sat and thought about the last time they had had a family dinner, that was the last time he saw Mary before she left. A knock on the door startled him and made his thoughts disappear as he opened the door to find the familiar angel he had seen last night. Except, his appearance was less than angelic due the excessive redness covering his face.

"Dean…can I come in? Please?" Castiel asked, looking like a sad puppy that had just lost his way home.

"Of course you can Cas, come on in." Instinctively he grabbed Castiel's hand and the other boy wasn't pulling away so he didn't either. He didn't dare bring up the subject of what had happened to his face, they'd talk about it later.

"Dean, who was at the door?" John asked before stopping midway into the living room and seeing his son and Castiel standing by the door. He didn't mention the fact that they were holding hands or the fact that his son's friend's face looked like he had been whacked with a fire truck and all of its color had made its way onto his face. John recalled the time he had caught Dean kissing another boy back when he was in eighth grade, and how angry he got at him. He started hitting him thinking that it would make it okay, but it didn't. He knew Castiel and he knew how good he was for his son. He had been with him through thick and thin, when Dean needed comfort John wasn't able or wasn't willing to give. He would apologize to his son for everything he had done, in time, but for now all he could ask was,

"Are you staying for dinner Castiel?"

The look on Castiel's face was nothing compared to Dean's as he realized they were still holding hands.

"I wouldn't want to impose Mr. Winchester."

"Nonsense. I'll go set another place. It's good to see you. Last time I saw you, you were in that damn hospital bed." John smiled at Dean and Castiel as he began setting another place in the dining room.

Dean turned to look at Cas who was still in shock at being invited to stay for dinner by John Winchester. Dean grabbed Cas's coat by the shoulders and helped him pull it off. He sent him a quick glance and Cas whispered 'Later.' And they made their way into the dining room.

It was nothing like Dean had expected. The conversation was flowing smoothly and there were no awkward pauses or silences, especially since Cas didn't know what to do when he saw Mary sitting down at the dining table and smiling like nothing Dean had ever told him had happened. It was nice, having dinner with family. It felt like Dean was supposed to be happy like this, like this was what his future was going to be. Spending every day with Castiel, coming over to his old house occasionally for family dinners with a present Mary and a sober and oddly happy John. He somehow knew it wouldn't last, something would turn out horribly wrong and he'd end up in the same place he always did, alone and sad, turning to the bottle like his father had. That wouldn't solve anything though, and for this one moment, he wanted to savor in all the happiness he could before it was yanked from him. Turns out, that came sooner than later when another knock on the door followed by yelling startled the whole table and had Cas running for the hills as he ran upstairs and Dean wasn't far behind.

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**I'm thinking about wrapping this up in the next few chapters. Let me know if there's anyway you want this to end! (:**


	14. Chapter 14

**GUYS! I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN SO LONG! Things have been crazy but I'm back now! (not like ya missed me :P) hope you enjoy chapter 14! Sorry for making you wait! Please review! :') xx**

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Dean ran up the stairs behind Cas as fast as he could, tripping over his own feet more than once. He stopped at his room and opened the door, which had already been closed. Castiel was sitting on his bed with his face buried in his hands. Dean walked over to him and placed a hand on his back, rubbing it up and down, letting Cas know that he was there, and that everything was going to be okay. Castiel looked up at Dean, his eyes red and glassy from crying.

"I..I'm sorry." He sniffled out, leaning over the bed to reach for a tissue.

Dean grabbed it before Cas could, placing it below his left eye and then his right, wiping away any visible tears.

"Can I expect this every time you find me crying?" Castiel let out a small smile.

"Don't get used to it Cas. I can't watch you cry anymore. It breaks my heart."

Castiel frowned. He looked down at his feet and then back up. Dean was now sitting next to him, ready to listen.

"Would you like to know what breaks my heart Dean?"

Dean looked away and then back at Cas, who was still waiting for an answer.

"I don't know Cas I mean…"

"Knowing that you're unwanted, knowing that you're unloved by your own fucking family!" He screamed out. "Zachariah found out about our date the other night and threw me out. Gabriel had tried to stand up for me but the assbutt just kicked him out too. We…we've been living in a few motels for the past few weeks. Why Dean? _Why_ do these terrible things happen to me? Zach says it's because the devil has got a 'damn good grip' on me. But…when I'm with you, it feels like a gift from God and I'm not going to let him take that away from me Dean, I can't."

Castiel lowered his head onto Dean's shoulder. Dean grazed his fingers through the mess of hair on top of Castiel's head.

"Shhh baby, it's all okay. I'm here angel, you don't have to cry."

Dean then tucked his arms around Cas, feeling him sink into the gesture. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door that startled both boys who had fallen into what seemed like a deep sleep.

"I'll get it. You stay in bed." Cas nodded and pulled the covers over his head. Dean chuckled and shook his head before opening the door to find his mother and Gabriel.

"Sweetie, Gabe and Cas are going to be staying with us for a while alright?" She turned to Gabriel. "I'll go get Sam to show you where you'll be staying." She then peaked her head into Dean's room where she saw Cas fast asleep under the covers. "Looks like someone's already made himself right at home." Mary patted Dean on the shoulder before continuing. "Get some rest okay? We'll talk in the morning."

"Of course mom." Dean replied, kissing her on the cheek before she headed for the stairs.

"Oh and Dean?" Mary asked, turning around at the top of the staircase. "Be there for him tonight okay?"

All Dean could reply with was a smile as he walked back into his room and shut the door, climbing into bed next to the boy with a broken heart, squeezing him tight against him, and drifting off into bliss.

* * *

The next morning was tense. The Winchester's and the two Novak's sat at the kitchen table in utter silence, not one noise came from the room except that of clattering glasses or forks scraping the china plates. The day dragged on and Dean was getting bored. His parent's had gone food shopping and God knows how long they took doing that, Sam and Gabriel were in the backyard playing some ridiculous game that involved rocks and sticks, and Cas was sitting on the couch reading a book. He figured this would be a perfect time to talk about the noticeable bruises on his face. Dean walked into the living room where Cas was sitting. He plopped onto the couch for a second before yanking the book Cas was reading right out of his hand and starting running around the house with it. To Castiel's disadvantage, Dean was several inches taller than him.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Castiel shouted through the house.

"NEEEEEVER!" Dean shouted back.

Dean's antics went on for a couple more minutes until Cas tripped Dean and he fell onto the floor. Cas went to reach for the book but fell over Dean's shoe and landed right on top of him. Dean's head was still hurting so his face was scrunched up and his eyes were closed, trying to act like a man and suck up the pain.

"Gotcha." Cas said before ripping the book from Dean's hands and placing an innocent kiss on the other boy's lips before standing up and walking towards the door.

"Cas wait!" Dean jumped up and ran over to the doorway where Castiel was still standing.

"I wanna talk about last night."

"Dean…."

"Cas I'm serious! You come over with your face lookin' like an apple and now you got a couple of bruises on your face. Was Zachariah the one banging on the door before you ran up here?"

Cas touched his face then let out a sigh, placed his book on the nightstand and sat down on Dean's bed.

"Gabriel and I went back to Uncle Zach's last night to get some clothes because we neglected to pack very many. We just assumed he would still be at work, but no. To our surprise he was there, and he wasn't happy." He breathed in a long breath and then let it out. "He pushed me up against the wall and yelled at me for bringing sin into his household, when Gabriel tried to stop him he grabbed the gun from underneath the coffee table and threatened him with it. He…he…he"

"Cas, baby, you don't have to talk about it anymore." Dean was now sitting next to him, opening his arms and waiting for Cas to except his invitation. Instead, he got a simple shake of his head.

"No I…I need to finish."

"Alright. I'm listening."

"He put it to my head and told me I had five seconds to get my ass out of the house or he'd shoot. So I…well I…I ran upstairs and he followed me. I tried to punch him but he knocked me out, next thing I knew, Gabriel was standing over me, his knuckles were all bruised and bloody, and said we had to go or else Zach would find us. I ran out the door but Zachariah grabbed Gabriel before I could. He held him by the arms and I ran, Dean I _RAN_ _away_ without my brother."

"Cas…"

"I ran here as fast as I could. I tried to forget the possibility that my brother might be _dead_ until the knocking on the door. I figured it was either Gabriel or Uncle Zach."

Dean lunged towards Cas, wrapping his arms tightly around the boy, squeezing him as hard as he could, making sure he had stopped crying.

"Dean…"

"No Cas_. NO_. Look at me Cas. _Look at me_." He grabbed Cas's chin and held it up, blue met green as they stared at each other like they were the last two people on Earth. "Listen to me okay? You never have to go back to that. Never. You're gonna stay here with us and you're gonna learn that you _are_ loved Cas. We're your real family okay? And you sure as hell don't deserve to be treated that way. He's a dick." Dean leaned forward and placed a kiss on Cas's forehead. "And you, well, you're an angel." He leaned in again, this time placing a kiss on the bruises that covered his boyfriend's face. "My angel."

The smile on Cas's face after hearing Dean's words was so bright it could've lightened up a football field.

"Thank you Dean."

Dean just smiled back at Cas as he picked up the book he had laid on the table before they started talking.

"Vonnegut huh? You must really like me." Dean said, looking at Cas with a smirk on his face.

"Shut up." Cas rolled his eyes as he grabbed the book from Dean, smiling, and ran out of the room and down the stairs.

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" Dean shouted as he ran out of the room, trying to catch up to Cas.

"NEEEEEVER!"

* * *

**A/N: There's only a few more chapters left, I'm thinking 1 or 2. Thank you all so much for all your feedback and all of the follows and favorites! This was my first fic and I can't believe how many people actually read it (and liked it!) xx I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH xx**


	15. Chapter 15

**LAST CHAPTER! I'm so sad that it's ended. :( It's the longest one I wrote. I felt I owed it you all after not updated in like a month. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANT AN EPILOGUE! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting on my first fan fiction. I didn't think I'd ever reach 100 follows but I did and I am sooo grateful! You are all so wonderful, I can't thank you enough. There's more fics on the way, don't worry :P. Please enjoy the conclusion to I Need You Buddy and don't forget to review (please guys, it's the last one!) THANK YOU! :)**

* * *

Months had gone by since Castiel and Gabriel moved in to the Winchester house permanently. Things were somewhat getting back to normal, the occasional bickering between four teenage boys, a recovering alcoholic, and a former mental patient was a lot to deal with, but they were all managing somehow, and most importantly, they were all happy. Zachariah had stopped by twice to apologize. Of course no one would ever know that seeing as how the first time he got a threat and a door slammed right in his face and the second time got the living daylights knocked out of him. No charges were pressed though, maybe he knew deep down he deserved it. _Oh boy did he deserve it. _

It was the last week of school before Gabriel, Dean, and Castiel were graduating. Sam still had two more years to go and was growing more and more envious every time his brother and two friends were one more day away from leaving the hell hole he was stuck in. Dean and Cas were better than ever. Some nights Dean would find a sobbing boy wandering into his room. He'd just get out of bed and scoop him right up beside him and they'd fall asleep right next to each other. On better nights, Cas would just wander in with the excuse he thought it was his room and other nights he would just come right in and sleep next to Dean. A week after that, Castiel's bed was never slept in again.

* * *

"I'm thinking light blue tux with a ruffled shirt." Gabriel said as he picked through the row of tuxedos in front of him.

"Dude, you're not serious are you?" Dean asked, picking out a suit, rolling his eyes, and putting it back on the rack.

The volume and amount of laughter that came out of Gabriel's mouth startled the few other customers who were in the store. Dean simply shook his head and grinned. Anyone who knew Gabriel knew that he laughed the same at everything.

"When am I ever serious Deano?"

"You _seriously_ piss me off when you call me that."

"Yeah, yeah." He gestured his hand in a 'leave my presence' motion before continuing. "So….what kind of tux are you going to wear? You _are_ taking Cassie aren't you?"

Dean looked around the store. He didn't know how to answer that. Him and Cas hadn't talked about going or not going and even if they were to go, how could he get up the courage to ask him?

"About that…"

"NO. NO! You can't be serious! You HAVE to take him Dean, you HAVE to!" He reached into his pockets, looking for something.

"What are you…" Gabriel pulled out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to Dean. "Are you seriously going to _pay_ me to take your brother to prom?"

"Well," He began looking around the store, probably for a better answer. "Yeah.."

Dean shoved the money back into Gabriel's hand.

"What is wrong with you Gabe?"

"Nothing. It's just.." He paused.

"It's what?" Dean asked curiously, focusing his attention fully on Gabe now.

"We used to talk about going when we were younger. He always talked about wanting to go. But these past few months…I don't know Dean. He probably doesn't even wanna go anymore, but he's always wanted to. I think it'd be good for him."

"Dude, what have I told you about the chick flick moments? Cut it out!"

Gabriel let out a chuckle and turned back to the rack of tuxedos.

"I'll take him though."

Gabriel turned to face Dean and threw his arms around his friend.

"Will you really?!" He exclaimed.

Dean laughed slightly, trying to escape Gabriel's grasp. It wasn't working.

"Yeah," push "I just need," push "to figure out a way" "WILL YOU LET GO OF ME?"

"Woops, sorry bro."

Dean shook his head before continuing his sentence.

"Yeah I will, I just need to figure out how to ask him."

"And that's not gonna be a 'chick flick moment'?" Gabriel said with a giant smirk on his face.

Dean shoved Gabriel into the rack of shirts. "Shut up. I have a few ideas." He picked up the tuxedo he had been looking at for the last ten minutes, debating on whether or not to buy it. He decided it was perfect and he knew Cas would love it just as much. He picked up an olive green tie, only because Cas was constantly telling him that olive green looked the best on him.

"Alright then, let's hit the register!"

"You're seriously buying that one?"

"It's a classic!

"Says you." Dean huffs out.

"Can it, Winchester." Gabe said, lifting his head up dramatically and walking towards the front of the store.

* * *

Castiel walked through the door of the Winchester house that evening feeling drowsy. His finals had drained him, not to mention Gabriel badgering him about prom. Dean and him hadn't talked about whether they were going to go or not, not that Cas wanted to go that bad anyway. Dean keep dropping hints about going, but he had just pretended not to know what the hell he was talking about. He walked into the kitchen, setting his book bag on a chair. He opened the fridge to get a water bottle and sure enough he found one, right in the center of the fridge, with an envelope attached to the label with his name on it. He sighed and opened it. It read:

_Water you doing standing around? Come upstairs._

Cas let out a laugh before following the instructions and heading up the stairs. Before he reached the stairway, he saw another envelope attached to the banister. He opened this one and it read:

_This is the stairway to Heaven. But you already know a lot about that, angel. ;)_

He rolled his head and chuckled, wondering what Dean was thinking. He continued on his quest to find his boyfriend. He opened the door to Dean's bedroom and noticed four books laying out on the bed. Pride and Prejudice, Romeo and Juliet, Oliver Twist, and Moby Dick.

"What the…?" He said to himself before looking down at the sticky note that read "Open Pride and Prejudice first."

He opened the book to find another sticky note in it. He sat on the bed before glancing over the piece of paper in his hand.

_P is for the pretty blue eyes I saw across the playground on the first day of Kindergarten. Open the next book Cas._

Castiel picked up the only book his mother had left him before she passed away. He opened it, reading the writing she had left for him. "For my little angel, Castiel." Tears started forming in his eyes as he remembered the woman he had only known for a few short years. He picked up the sticky note that read:

_R is for reason I have you in my life. See, even she thought you were an angel._

The tears were coming down now like a rainstorm. Castiel got up from where he was sitting to pick up a tissue. He was sure as hell going to need more than one if he wanted to get through the next two books. He sat back down on the bed, picking up Oliver Twist and opening it.

_O is for the only person I've ever known who may be stronger than Atlas. You could carry the world on your shoulders and still worry about everyone else. You're my hero._

He couldn't believe the words he was reading. Dean was the best thing that had ever happened to him. And he knew that sooner or later, he was going to have to tell him how he really felt, what he really wanted. He blew his nose and wiped his eyes with another tissue before opening the last book.

_M is for the man I would be without you. But you see Cas, there's the thing_

"I wouldn't be the man I am today if it weren't for you."

Cas looked up to see Dean standing in the doorway, holding a rose, and smiling at him like he was a freshly baked apple pie.

"Will you go to prom with me Castiel Novak?"

Cas laughed and then wiped his eyes, getting up and standing in front of Dean.

"You know, if you hadn't spelled out P-R-O-M, I would've thought you were proposing." He said, looking at Dean with a smile, not even he could match.

"So that's a yes?" He asked, opening his mouth slightly enough to give his boyfriend a cheesy half-opened mouth smile.

Cas took the rose out of Dean's hand, moved his hands up to cup both of Dean's cheeks, and placed his lips on his. He let the moment sink in before moving his mouth to the right and to left, mimicking Dean's motions. Dean playfully bit Cas's bottom lip, which won him a slight moan from Cas. He pulled back and saw the smile on Castiel's face.

"Woah, woah, woah. Easy there tiger."

"But Dean, I'm not a…"

Dean rolled his eyes and laughed. "It's an expression Cas."

"Oh, I see."

"So I'm taking that as a yes."

"Well you'd be pretty idiotic if you took it as anything less." Cas smirked.

"Alright smartass," Dean said, "Now we need to get you a tux."

"Actually, I already have one."

"Yeah," Dean chuckled. "I kinda figured that."

"Oh and you call _me_ the 'smartass'." Cas said, air quotes and everything.

Dean put his hands around Castiel's waist. "Shut up, Novak."

Castiel lent in closer, whispering into Dean's ear, "Make me, Winchester."

* * *

"Cas" slap "stop" slap "youlookFINE!"

"No I don't Gabriel."

"Yes you do baby bro! Oww, my hand's gonna be bruised, thanks!"

Cas looked down at his brother's hand and laughed. "I'm sorry."

Gabriel's face turned into a five year old's expression when their parents won't let them buy a candy bar, well, that was what Cas had to do when they went grocery shopping. "Pleeeeeeeease Cassie?" He could hear his brother's voice inside his head.

"No you're not."

Cas chuckled again. "For the first time, you're right. I'm not sorry."

Gabriel then somehow turned into Sam Winchester, impersonated his famous bitch face #29.

"Wow." They heard someone laugh. "Could you look any more like Sam?"

Sam stared at Dean, putting on his own bitch face. Dean just looked at Cas and joined his boyfriend in his laughing fit. "See what I mean?" Sam then slapped Dean across the head.

"OWWW! WHAT THE FUCK SAM?"

"Who's the one with the bitch face now?" His brother said, smirking.

"Shut up, bitch."

"Jerk." Sam said smiling.

"I thought you had a rule about no chick flick moments Deano?"

"And I thought we made a deal about the next time you called me that?" Dean said, walking over to where Gabriel was standing next to Castiel.

"Easy there tiger." Cas said, pulling Dean away from his brother by the sleeve of his suit jacket.

"So you're finally getting the hang of the 'art of expressions'? Eh Cas?"

"Something like that." Castiel replied with a sweet smile.

"Did you put your tie on yourself?" Dean asked, stepping closer to his boyfriend.

"No, Gabriel did." Both boys looked over to Gabriel.

"Whaaaaat? Mine isn't on straight either. See?" He said, pointing down to his tie.

"Let me fix that Cas." Dean said, fixing the tie. "You know blue really brings out your eyes."

"So does green." Cas replied.

"THIS IS OFFICIALLY A CHICK FLICK MOMENT! SMILE FOR THE CAMERA LOVEBIRDS!" Gabriel shouted.

Before both boys knew what hit them, they turned around, Dean's hands still on Cas's tie and a flash of light blinded both of them.

"GABE WHAT THE HELL?" Dean shouted back.

"I SAID SMILE."

"WHY ARE YOU ALL SHOUTING?" John yelled as he walked into the living room, followed by Mary.

"My, do you boys look handsome."

"Thank you Mary." Castiel replied for all three of them.

"Sam," she asked. "Where's your tuxedo?"

"Mom, I'm a sophomore. I don't exactly qualify as _senior prom_ material."

"Oh I forgot to mention," Gabriel chimed in. "Kali bailed on me, so you're coming with me."

"Do I haaaaave to?" He whined.

"I'm afraid so Sam. Don't worry, he's not _that_ bad. Take it from me, I've lived with him for 17 years."

"HEY! I sense some sarcasm in that statement Cassie!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Castiel smirked before taking Sam upstairs to find him something to wear.

* * *

The car ride to the prom was filled with laughs and loud music, much like they had expected prom to be.

"So Cas, I forgot to tell you that Crowley called a few days ago." Gabriel said, breaking the two minute silence."

"So he finally stopped watching his hellhounds every move?"

"What the fuck is a hellhound?" Dean asked. Cas slapped his hand for using that word. "Sorry angel." Cas just smiled back.

"Crowley owns a few pit bulls, they're vicious." Gabe said.

"Yeah. Meg, Ruby and Lilith."

"Where'd he get those names from?" Sam asked, laughing.

"His ex-wives."

Now Dean was laughing as well as Sam and Castiel.

"No, I'm serious."

"He is." Castiel stated.

"Well that's just sick." Sam said, picking at his overly tight tie.

Gabriel snickered. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Prom was everything they had expected. Loud music, girls in dresses that were _way_ too tight, teachers drinking punch that was probably most definitely spiked. It was everything they were dreading, and more.

They sat at their table most of the night along with Chuck and his freshman date Becky, Garth, Charlie, Jo, and Adam. They all talked about what colleges had accepted them and which ones hadn't, where they were moving, what they would be doing when high school was over. Dean and Cas were excited about college, moving to a new state, away from all the drama that had occurred that year. They were happily surprised to find out that their friends were okay with them dating.

"I've seen it coming for a while." Adam said. "N…not that I mind or anything."

"You're good for each other. But you listen to me Castiel, you break his heart and God so help you I"

"Jo! That's enough!" Dean raised his voice at her.

"Sorry…." She mumbled.

"I for one, think you two are a-dor-a-ble! I mean you are too cute together! You remind me of these characters on this show that I watch. They haven't gotten together or anything but I know they will I just know it!" Becky spoke up.

"Do we know her?" Cas whispered to Dean.

"No," He chuckled. "But I suppose we should take that as a compliment."

_I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing_

_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_

_While you're far away and dreaming_

Dean turned to Cas with a smile on his face. "Would you like to dance with me Cas?"

Cas returned the smile and took Dean's hand in his. "I thought you'd never ask."

They made their way to dance floor as the song continued playing.

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_

_I could stay lost in this moment, forever_

"I could stay lost just looking in your eyes."

"You're so corny Dean." Cas said, shaking his head as he laughed. He rested his head on Dean's shoulder.

_Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

"You love it."

"I'm afraid I do." Cas said, his words getting lost in the chorus of the song.

_Don't wanna close my eyes_

_Don't wanna fall asleep cause I'd miss you babe_

_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

_Even when I dream of you_

_The sweetest dreams will ne_

"HEY EVERYONE! LOOK AT THE FAGS DANCING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DANCE FLOOR!" Someone called out.

They turned their eyes to see Gordon Walker walking over to a kid who looked like he was about to shit his pants.

"You got a problem with two boys dancing with each other?" Gordon asked the boy, invading his personal space.

"N…no…sir."

By this point, Gordon had his fist ridden up the boy's tie, almost choking him. He let go and pushed the boy into the table that was behind him.

"That's what I thought." He turned around to see everyone's eyes on him. "Nothing to see here. Get back to dancing."

He made his way over the dance floor where Dean and Cas had dropped their jaws.

"I'm sorry about earlier this year. This was the least I could do." He turned away from them but then turned back around. "What'd I say Winchester? Knew you were in love with the kid." He smiled before walking out the room. They figured this was the last time they'd ever see Gordon Walker.

"What the hell was that?"

"Honestly, I have no freaking idea."

"Can we get back to dancing?" Cas asked, smiling at Dean who seemed just as eager as Cas.

"It'd be my pleasure Mr. Novak."

Cas reached up and flung both of his arms around Dean's neck as Dean pulled him close and wrapped his arms around Cas's waist. Cas kissed Dean softly before smiling one of his Cas smiles and rested his head on Dean's shoulder.

"We did good kiddo." Gabriel said to Sam as they were both watched their brothers dance like the little lovebirds they were.

"That we did Gabe. That we did."

* * *

As he lay in bed that night, Dean replayed every moment he had ever spent with Cas. From their first day of kindergarten, to his first fight when some kid made fun of the way Cas spoke, to the moment he realized he had fallen in love with his best friend, to prom night, and most importantly, to right now, as he laid next to a half-asleep angel, more than ready to tell him how he felt.

He suspected Cas was doing the same, he was staring up the ceiling like it held the answers to every question in the universe.

"What are you thinking about Cas?"

"Everything." He replied, not breaking his focus on intently staring at the ceiling.

Cas looked around at Dean to make sure he wasn't still looking at him. He looked around the room and then back at Dean but before he knew it, Dean had blurted out the words that had lingering on his tongue for so long.

"I love you."

Cas's eyes widened in shock and he turned his gaze over to Dean like he was staring at the ceiling moments ago.

"Dean…I…"

Dean pressed his lips to Cas's and continued to speak.

"You don't need to say it back. I don't expect you to. It's just…with everything that's happened in the last few months I've realized that I couldn't live without you. I would cry myself to sleep night after night just thinking about the thought of losing you. I had to say it. I had to tell you before you got scared and ran off because I was jackass and couldn't just tell…"

Castiel crushed his lips onto Dean's. He moved his mouth around before deepening the kiss. He licked the crease in between Dean's lips before Dean opened his mouth, allowing Castiel to feel his way around the inside of his mouth. He kissed away and moved his tongue in slightly before Dean moaned softly into Castiel's mouth.

"I love you too Dean."

"Wow…I..wasn't expecting it so soon."

"You didn't expect me to say it back after I kissed you like that?" Castiel laughed.

"Well…"

"Now you know." Castiel sighed, staring back up at the ceiling again.

"Now I know what?"

He turned to face Dean, trying to find his eyes in the darkness. "Remember that day at the library when you asked me what I'd do if you said you loved me? And I said I would say it back and it was for me to know and you to find out? Well…now you know."

Dean was fairly sure Castiel was smiling at him, even though he knew it was too dark for him to see.

"You're something Castiel Novak, you know that?"

"Yes." He laughed before snuggling up closer to Dean, kissing him before laying his head on his chest and closing his eyes.

"Goodnight Dean."

"Goodnight, angel." Dean said with a song on his lips he just couldn't help but hum to the tune of.

_The sweetest dreams will never do, I still miss you babe _

_And I don't want to miss a thing_

* * *

**Sooo...who enjoyed that? Just to let you know, I cried writing the scene where Dean asked Cas to prom. It got me so emotional. THEY FINALLY SAID THE THREE WORDS! And there's more Gabriel in this for everyone who asked! If you don't know what song that was, it's Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith. :) ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE AN EPILOGUE!**

**_~Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this fic. They're all Eric Kripke's...~_**


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